The Uzumaki Chronicles
by Moonraker One
Summary: These dusty, slightly torn pages hold within them various tales about the Uzumaki, the most fearsome bloodline on Earth or in Hell. Take this off the shelf and read it, if you dare.
1. PROLOGUE

The Uzumaki Chronicles  
By Moonraker One

(a large bit of dust comes off as the front cover of the large book flips over, revealing yellow, time-stained pages)

Tale One: _Alpha Male_

(There is a key: "Words bold and enclosed in semicolons indicates fox-demon speak")

PREFACE – Twelve years ago, Human world, village of Konohagakure

A powerful bolt of lightning, intense enough to fully illuminate the evening sky appeared abruptly and violently, crashing into a tree and fragmenting it in an explosive test of nature's fury, vanishing from sight as abruptly as it had come. This sort of powerful thunderstorm very seldom was seen in Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves; at least, Lord Hokage hadn't seen it to this degree in his lifetime. The hidden leaf village's special services would have to inspect the forest and remove downed trees after such a powerful tempest had vanished. The rain soaked the large wooden buildings that were common all throughout the huge, walled-in village of six hundred thousand brave souls.

Several shinobi, returning from their missions dashed quickly in through the gigantic north entrance gate, ensuring that their heads were covered. The last member of a four-man assassination crew entered, and two workers manning the lookout at the base of the village just inside grabbed the corners of the immense wooden structure and slammed the gate shut. One upper-class ninja ,a jounin, who currently had been assigned the task of supervising the north entrance's lookout post that stood along the top of the village walls, took notice of a wounded figure limping. It was doubtful, in his mind at least, that the figure would even manage to reach the gate, judging by the current pace at which she stumbled along. Wasting not even a moment he got on his radio. "This is lookout post three north requesting Special Services," he shouted into the mouthpiece of the handheld. He awaited a crackle followed by a woman's voice. Upon her asking what sort of service he required, he shouted back, "I see a potentially wounded figure. Send ANBU and medical squads immediately." Looking away from his radio just an instant he hastily analyzed her position. "Target is forty yards south of lookout."

The gates flew open not too long thereafter with a medical unit and six masked black ops ANBU shinobi close behind them. The leader, the eldest of the medical squad could scarcely believe what he saw before him. With numerous cuts and scratches, limped a red-haired woman with piercing green eyes and a slightly torn dress. She had long, slender limbs and a protruding pregnant stomach. She yelled for help in a language that none of the shinobi could understand nor had heard before. Finally, realizing that she had not gotten through to them, gathered her breath and stated in broken language, "With child…need…help…" Even without her speaking in their language, they understood.

The Lord Hokage was on site in a few seconds as they brought her into the hospital. A member of the village's medical experts met him outside the operating room. Wiping his blonde hair free of rain, the Yondaime cleared his throat and asked, "What in the hell is going on?"

The medic nin folded his arms, attempting to summarize the situation in a concise form. "A ANBU squad brought in a moderately injured pregnant woman," he explained. "She looks to have been abused, and likely escaped. She's currently in labor." Hokage donned a face mask, some latex gloves and a set of surgical scrubs.

One medic nin overseeing the procedure acknowledged his leader. "My Lord!" he uttered, bowing. "I've never seen anything like this. As the child approaches the birth canal, our equipment seems to get more and more buggy! It's as if the infant is emitting an unstable electromagnetic energy!" The woman, taking sight of Yondaime, instantly became wide-eyed and stricken with fear, but inevitably noticed that he was different from who she was thinking of, and calmed down somewhat. "Come on ma'am!" he yelled. "Another push should do it! Push!"

In compliance, the woman screamed in agony as she gave the hardest push yet, and the child came out. The medical team, at first, breathed a sigh of relief. _Good, he's ou…what the FUCK?_ The main doctor's thought process took a drastic turn as he saw the child. Crying, shouting for dear life, was a blonde-furred kitsune baby with nine distinct tails. It initially seemed impossible for any of them to gather themselves as each of them was as stunned as the next one. However they did their job and severed the umbilical cord. The sounds of their breaths and heartbeats, the illumination of the room, and the smell of blood and sweat made the baby more fearful, as he experienced these senses more acutely than the doctors to a dramatic degree.

Somehow, though, his crying ceased the moment he made eye contact with his mother. **;Who're you?;** he cried out, in the same incoherent language that his mother had used earlier. **; Hmm, you must be my mother. ; **

**; That is correct, my young pup, ;** she replied. Carefully examining her baby fox's features she looked just a moment at Yondaime. "You are the leader who told them to help me," she said to him, in her soft yet powerful voice and hope in her eyes. "You name my son." Such was tradition where she had come from.

Yondaime shook his head, stunned. He was highly doubtful he comprehended the situation. "Oh, um…you're sure?" She nodded. "Well, um…" He thought a moment. "How about…Naruto?"

She smiled; such was acceptable. **; You are Naruto, my son. ;**

The kitsune blinked. **; I am Naruto, of the bloodline Uzumaki. ; **To hear his new name cheered him up. **; I am Naruto! ;**

(there is a tear on the page, probably from where a previous reader was careless)

The next morning, in desperate search of an answer, Yondaime entered the room he'd ordered cleaned up for the woman and her child. Taking a seat across from her, he stared at her facial features, marveling at her beauty. She grinned at his captivation. Summoning much courage he collected his thought processes. "Tell me, if I may ask, who are you?"

She struggled with an effective answer. "I am Kyuubi no Kitsune," she introduced. The young kit lay sleeping in her lap as she petted his fur with soft motions. "I escaped the demon dimension at the peak of its civil war." She paused, merely for a moment, to ensure that she held his complete attention; she did. "My husband, the great kitsune demon Kenzo, is both leader of a third of demon world, and also your great ancestor." Her eyes turned cold to think of the demon who'd fathered the child resting in her lap; they contrasted with her smooth, usually bright face. "He was a powerful man but a horrible father. As the progenitor to the bloodline Uzumaki, the most feared and powerful _in_ demon world, he lives only to kill." She stared him directly in the eyes. "For the sake of my child I had to flee."

It struck Yondaime as quite a story for him to digest in one sitting. Several moments passed as he compiled, as best he could, his rational thought. "So," he struggled with the revelation, "my heritage lies in demon world?" A stupid response, yet it was all he could muster.

She nodded. "Surprising it was to see you, young man of blood Uzumaki, because that means that one of your ancestors fled Kenzo's rule as well." She looked down at her child, breathing gently. "I hate to impose upon you, but you must provide a stable environment in which he can grow free of his father." She looked into Yondaime's blue eyes. A somewhat radical idea came to her at once. "_You_ will be his father! Marry me so we can provide a home for him."

He was taken aback. "You…You can't possibly expect me to just marry someone!"

She stood firmly with her position. "Then you will raise him and I will leave. But he will NOT grow up near or like his father." She offered the sleeping kitsune to him and prepared to walk away. He took one look at it and felt guilty.

"W…Wait!" His yell prevented her from handing it to him. "I…fine. I'll marry you." He cleared his throat. Immediately his "official business-only" aura came about. "However, it is only due to the current situation, and my virtue as Hokage prevents me from taking up sexual relations with another man's wife."

She smiled and faced Naruto at herself. **; I knew he would not resist, ;** the baby kit told Kyuubi.

**; You've got a new home, Naruto! ;** She thought of such a prospect. **; Now, you just have to learn human speak! ;**

For the moment, at least while she stroked his fur, the world was right.

(the chapter ends with a spilled liquid stain)


	2. CHAPTER ONE

( A blank page separates the previous chapter from this one, and it has a fingerprint stain on it)

CHAPTER ONE – Present, human world, Village of Konhagakure

In the main courtyard of the Village Hidden in the Leaf, a singular figure strolled down the mildly crowded streets on the western side of the city. His goal that morning was a bowl of ramen at the Ichiraku noodle bar. A nin from the academy took notice of him and pushed his way through the crowd. "Oi, Naruto!" The blonde shinobi looked above the sea of heads and saw one of his favorite teachers. "Can I talk to you? I'll buy you ramen."

Naruto beamed. "You've got yourself a captive audience." They approached the small noodle bar and took their seats. Two orders of pork ramen later and a discussion began. "So, Iruka-sensei, what do you need?"

The academy instructor cleared his throat. Naruto took a big slurp of his ramen. "I have word from Kakashi—you know, he's a jounin your father trusts—he put in a request for the third member of his two man team of genin to be a chunin with at least ten missions ranked higher than C."

Naruto patted his former instructor on the shoulder. "You'll do great, Iruka-sensei." He then took another bite."

"No, um," Iruka argued, "they said the chunin should be one of the younger ones, so I elected you."

The blonde shinobi nearly choked. When he recollected himself, he uttered, "Me?" Iruka nodded. "I've only been chunin for a year!"

"But you've been on B and A ranked missions. Besides, being as old as the genin, it should help the 'acceptance issue."' Naruto did not share in his mentor's enthusiasm. Completing his meal, he bowed to his former sensei and stepped off his seat.

"When should I meet them?"

Iruka checked his watch. "They're at the training ground…oh…they should be there about now."

At the training ground, a pair of figures stood leaning against a tree. One, a dark-haired boy named Sasuke, had seen his whole family slaughtered by his older brother, who was later killed by Lord Hokage. He had one hope, and that was that someone would accept him. He worked his butt off, trained until he bled, all in almost futile hopes that he would be shown his place in life, and desperately he prayed silently that such place would be full of people who would appreciate him. In the mean time, power was all he wanted, for it lie only in skill and strength that care could be achieved. The other, a girl named Sakura, had a crush on Sasuke and a lot of doubt in the decision to have a chunin help them learn. She wondered what the purpose was of someone of superior rank to them teach them in addition to their sensei Kakashi. Knowing what she knew about the various ranks of shinobi, and how the skill ranked up next to age, she predicted that he would probably be only slightly younger than their sensei.

From one of the trees leapt young Uzumaki Naruto. He examined the guy and the girl. _These tenderfoots are gonna learn something from me?_ he thought.

Sasuke blinked. "There, uh, must be a mistake," he stammered. "Our third man is supposed to be a chunin!"

Naruto gave him the finger. It was the one human gesture he quickly learned. "Don't be such a smart ass. You see the vest."

They both did a double take. _This…kid…is a chunin?_

It was at that precise moment that Kakashi arrived. "Sorry I'm late, a friend of mine from fifteen years ago showed up and I just couldn't get away."

Sakura could have fallen over. "Why're you such a bad liar?" she shouted. Instantly her gaze shifted to the blonde kid near her sensei. "And YOU! How the hell can you be a journeyman ninja already?"

"For your information," Kakashi interjected, "I've been a chunin since I was six, so it isn't quite as uncommon as you'd think for someone to be a very young chunin." He calmly—almost seeamlessly—shifted from "matter of fact" mood to a rsepectful one. "Sakura, Sasuke, this is Uzumaki Naruto, honorable son of Lord Hokage." In response t his name, Naruto bowed, first to Kakashi, then t his fellow ninja. Bowing to subordinately ranked shinobi he did out of willingness to show acceptance, rather than traditional respectfulness. "In case you're wondering," Kakashi added, "Naruto has been on more than fifteen B missions since turning chunin, and two A, so he's qualified." The exact amount of B missions he was on he did not know, but he knew Naruto had been on fifteen since achieving the second ninja rank. Personally, he'd have preferred a slightly older chunin such as Iruka, but any chunin was better than none.

Naruto glanced at his companions. _Okay,_ he analyzed, _the pink-haired kunoichi doesn't look like much, so I'll probably have to give her extra protection._ He stared a hole, though, through Sasuke. To further analyze the boy's skill, he focused chakra onto his eyes. Even in human form, the blonde ninja had fox ears and tails, he just hid them with genjutsu. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura saw it, but his eyes changed to black slits against a red background. The demon eye, given only to those of demon blood, allowed for a complete inspection of the human design, seeing any layer at a time. Through it, he saw good, strong chakra pathways, through which plentiful chakra flowed. Naruto smiled a bit in surprise. _This Uchiha kid looks good, skill-wise. He'll probably make chunin soon._

Sasuke, perhaps due to his doubt of his male companion's talents, threw a shuriken as a distraction, while he summoned his speed to appear behind Naruto. The blonde chunin, expecting Sasuke to stop behind him, readied in his hand a kunai. When the young Uchiha came up in the expected place, Naruto not only spun around so fast as to be unseen by all save Kakashi, but had created a shadow clone that also appeared behind Sasuke, just as unexpectedly as the attacker had.

"If you were my enemy," Sasuke egged, "I'd have been much faster and deadlier."

Naruto sneered. "As would I," he replied. As the clone released its grip by vanishing, the real person's face grew serious. "But in a real combat situation against an enemy you'd be cannon fodder for anyone at all equal to you in speed, because you focus on the power of move delivery. Focus instead on quickness of move delivery." Immediately he stuck his arm out behind his head and caught Sakura by the neck attempting to attack him. Throwing her into his field of vision, he knocked Sasuke backwards with a rising knee to the chest. They landed next to each other, and got up, only for Naruto to appear at once behind them with separate kunai placed immediately in front of their throats. "And, to make matters worse, you have very little teamwork," he added. Turning to Kakashi, he lamented, "These two are going to require a significant amount of team training." He replaced his Kunai into his pocket.

"That's why I asked for you," was Kakashi's reply. "Don't forget the main reason you're here." Naruto shouted a billion words of anger in the singular peeved glance he sent the jounin's way. It was, in his mind anyway, impossible to forget the reason why. _Only one more A mission and one recommendation from "Mr. Perpetually-late" here,_ he knew. _Then I can take the jounin exam with Lord Hokage._ Gai and Asuma had provided him with recommendations after he'd been on their missions. With Kakashi he'd hopefully get lucky number three and then, he'd meet the minimum requirement for elite ninja training. After ass-loads of C and D missions, going on B and higher ranked missions (as was required by Chunin rank) were a good bit of relief. After all, he was a youko—a higher-order fox demon—and he liked to eat his kill. One couldn't get human flesh on flower planting missions.

"Alright," he conceded. "We'll be training chakra balance first." Taking two kunai from his pocket on his hip he threw them near the feet of his companions.

"What're we using these for?" The blonde ninja craned his neck towards Sakura, who'd asked.

"To climb trees," he uttered. Before questions could be asked, he began to calmly walk up the side of the massive piece of lumber, perfectly focusing chakra in each step. Both genin stood amazed at his talent. Reaching a high branch allowed him to mark a success point for them to reach. After carving a pass-fail mark he leapt down to his comrades' level. "You may keep trying until you get up there. Remember to clear your mind and focus on the tree and its chakra," he explained. "An expert nin can do it without thinking, and that's what you want to get at. This exercise helps you develop proper chakra use, because like spells working or not, if you over or underuse your chakra, you'll get a similar failure. Begin."

Almost a blink after his instruction, they were off and running. The difference between the two genin became apparent when Sasuke made a mere three successful steps and then landed his next step without using enough chakra, and dropped like a stone. Sakura, however, made sure to hit the mark on her first attempt, without losing or hesitating once. In response to these results, Naruto let loss a surprised sign. "Well THAT was certainly unexpected. So much for the 'Pride of the Uchiha.' Trumped by a girl with half your latent chakra." He received, in response, the finger from Sasuke. "Don't get angry with me," he warned. "In a real combat situation, fear, anger, pain and frustration can cause you to lose ability to think clearly and focus. If you can't concentrate under ideal peace conditions, well…"

"Shut UP!" Sasuke demanded making one step more than his prior attempt before once again falling.

"Predictable outcome." Naruto turned to Kakashi a moment. "Wake me if he passes." Locking his muscles in place, he fell asleep standing up. Instead of a third attempt, Sasuke charged at the slumbering shinobi. The very moment the Uchiha was an inch from the blonde nin with blades drawn, he found his arm grabbed. A single, smooth motion later saw him on his belly with his head in a left-arm headlock and a kunai to his throat. A playful smile found its way to Naruto's face. "Lesson three; never assume your foe is off-guard. For that matter, never assume. Assume makes an ass out of you and me."

Sasuke reassumed a standing position. "Funny, I don't seem to recall one and two."

"One is don't lose your cool in combat, and two is not to disrespect me." He pointed to the tree. "Now quit dicking around and get back to work." Kakashi grinned at the Uzumaki's display of dominance. _Sasuke does not appreciate Naruto's harshness,_ he knew. _In razzing him on, he tests his ability to remain calm. He trains an element of focus in him._ He frowned, if just a moment. _But he's far overdoing it, and he's lavishing in his rank and skill superiority. Still he's getting more results from him that I could alone. Perhaps I could let him be their head honcho a bit more. After all, he'll need instruction practice if he plans on being a jounin._

_I'll show this fool_, Sasuke thought. _I'll surpass him and then we'll see who earns respect. I don't care if he is the 'honorable son' of our Yondaime Hokage._ With a running start he attached to the side of the tree and began upward. Clearing his mind allowed him several more steps than his previous attempt, and he made the pass mark on his fourth attempt.

"Very impressive," Naruto praised the young genin. Four was one less attempt than was required when he had been administered the same test. "Now, Kakashi-sama, do we have a practice mission?"

"Indeed," Kakashi offered, pulling a pamphlet from his pocket. "We are to escort a man named Tazuna to the land of the waves. Basic protection from bandits and highwaymen has been requested." Personally the copy nin had his doubts, but hey, that's why he asked for a chunin's accompaniment. Naruto frowned; yet another boring D mission. Generic protections were, by far, the most uneventful of the D class, right up there with cat catching. Still, it may afford some chances to teach the girl and the prettyboy a few combat lessons. "I, being a jounin, must attend some matters with Lord Hokage. You guys, however, will require training for the missions ahead. Naruto will be in charge of training while I'm gone."

Once Kakashi had left their sight, the blonde nin took up fighting stance. "Two on one," he egged. "Come at me." Sakura barely had time to blink before her foe appeared in front of her to slam into her with elbow extended, throwing her backwards into the bushes. He then turned to Sasuke, and a quick transformation saw a mirror image of the Uchiha.

_Eliminate the weaker, then transform into the other to confuse her upon returning to battle,_ Sasuke realized. It was truly a clever plan. "Nice one." He ducked below a furious roundhouse kick and attempted to return fire with an uppercut, and nailed his target. Naruto, however, made use of his speed and delivered a sharp kick to the chest at the same time. They both flew backwards from the other's hit. Sasuke flipped to land on his feet while Naruto hit like a thrown rock, kicking up a trail of dirt as he landed back first. The Uchiha made rapid hand signs. Throwing his hand up to his mouth he released a fireball. It found itself hastily dodged.

Sakura got out of the bushes and saw two Sasuke's fighting. Carefully she approached. Naruto who had use of his demon mind, carefully and hastily scanned the memories of Sasuke in search of any sort of password they agreed upon for a situation close to this one. He found one through pure luck. "Heavenly starburst!" Naruto shouted, surprising his male opponent long enough to hit him in the face with a rising knee. He bounded and landed next to Sakura.

"Nice one, Sasuke!" she cried, readying a kunai as the real Uchiha began to recover. "I guess chunin doesn't matter!"

Without wasting a moment he elbowed her in the side of the head then sent her flying with a furious side kick. In the air he landed a flying spin kick to her gut which knocked her out. "Oh, you'd be surprised."

At that precise moment he reached out and grabbed the neck of an attacking Sasuke. Dropping his transform jutsu he gathered, in his other hand, a rapidly-spinning power ball of chakra. "RASENGAN!" he shouted, driving the sphere into his opponent's abdomen. The force of the exploding mass chucked Sasuke violently through a large boulder into some trees, where one split under the force of his impact.

A while later when they came to, and he explained the errors that allowed their loss. "Other than mere miscalculation, you made the mistake of immediately trusting." He turned to the kunoichi. "Sakura, I knew you'd believe I was Sasuke the moment I said the password. Part of the success of my trap was based on you not trying to seek further answers. If you had not let your guard down I'd have likely failed." He then focused on Sasuke. "You did excellently. You saw my plan at once and gathered how it had to be foiled." He frowned. "But, in your desire to bring the combat to a hasty end you sacrificed speed for power, and couldn't keep up. All the power in the world is useless if you can't hit your foe. Furthermore, you always charged straight at me. You should have tried a distraction and hid yourself." Naruto cleared his throat. "You guys break for ramen, or whatever. Mission's tomorrow."


	3. CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE – Present, human world, Village of Konohagakure

"Is everyone ready?"

The question posed by Kakashi resulted in a collective, droning, "Yeah," from both genin as well as Naruto. Tazuna, for protection purposes, walked behind, flanked on each side by the shinobi hired to ensure his survival. Another mission began as the large gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaf creaked then slammed shut behind as they headed for the Land of the Waves. Sasuke and Sakura had their eyes out for any minor threats that were posed to the bridge builder because some dangers always seemed posed to travelers by the forest. Naruto, however, kept eyes out for the larger threats, such as bandits or ninja.

Tazuna looked at the protection he'd been given. _These…children…are supposed to keep me safe? _He wondered about the quality of his assigned ninja escorts; only their leader had any sort of imposing appearance. The rest looked like they'd barely come out of the academy. The blonde haired one had a vest on like the jounin of the group, so he had to be a slightly higher ranked ninja than the other two, but even that did not help the state of mind of the man. _No,_ he believed, _I'll probably have to make a run for it._ He did not trust their skills.

Out of sheer curiosity, Naruto looked up at the sky for a moment, thinking of the clouds. Immediately though, he concentrated once more on the mission. Out of habit he looked to the ground to ensure that there were no ground traps, and he saw near a gathering of small puddles that a rabbit dashed across their path. Neither genin paid it much attention, but the blonde shinobi looked at it and then at Kakashi. With a nod the jounin told him that he too noticed an irregularity. "Naruto!" Sakura cried, embarrassed at the seemingly useless waste of concentration. "It's just a rabbit!" He'd tried, through clenched teeth, to silently mouth "shut up!" but she'd been too far in the statement.

Exasperated at her lack of stealth, he whispered, "The rabbit is irrelevant, but its fur isn't."

Sasuke blinked in confusion. "Fur?" he whispered to himself. It struck him a moment later. "Ah, I get it," he mouthed.

Even in human form, the blonde chunin had heightened senses. He could distinctly smell the stink of man-sweat and feel the air move near Kakashi. It never was a habit of him to waste a moment, and this point could not afford to be an exception. He propelled a kunai with such haste that it caught an enemy shinobi on the way up directly in the forehead. Immediately the man fell dead; no pain could be experienced. The remaining enemy nin found it much more difficult to ensnare Kakashi in the planned trap involving the jagged chain, so he had to change his plan and attempted to slash the copy nin in half with his ninja-to. If Kakashi had not made use of a replacement jutsu he very well may have been caught. The copy nin seemed merely a distraction as he at once turned and charged for his real target. The old man.

Sasuke, possessing absolutely no desire to be upstaged by Naruto, attempted to intercept the opposing shinobi. Unfortunately, he parried the sword slash but forgot to notice the claws laced with poison that wrapped around the enemy's other fist. He whipped himself into a backwards leaning position as quickly as he could but got caught in the right shoulder. Not a moment after the liquid began entering his blood he froze in place to prevent spreading. He awaited death, but the enemy did not kill him, instead passing him by. Which only further solidified in Naruto's mind the true mission assigned.

He had been paid to kill the old man.

Naruto held confidence in few things quite like his speed, as it had been the defining characteristic that enabled him to pass the chunin exam years before most candidates. So, despite the enemy getting a head start and being very close to Tazuna, the gap between them closed in the space of a tenth of an eye blink. The bridge builder threw up his arms in preparation for a death strike from the opposing shinobi, but a second later would find such action pointless.

A footstep told Tazuna that an enemy shinobi stood an inch from him. Seemingly at the same instant as that footstep, Naruto popped in front of him and drove his kunai straight into the enemy's heart. Kakashi appeared a moment later. "Thank you, Naruto," he complimented. "Mr. Tazuna." His tone became distinctively more peeved as he craned his head in the bridge builder's direction. "You lied to our village elders. Now, regardless of your true reasons for doing so, we aren't properly staffed for this type of mission."

Tazuna spoke out in self defense. "How does this change the mission?"

Kakashi blinked in a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. "Well, for one, any team of genin can provide sufficient protection from bandits, but if a ninja attack is suspected, we staff using elite jounin and charge for the extra manpower. Second, what we have here are chunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist." He turned to Naruto and nodded, silently granting him permission to drag off the dead and feast on their flesh. "Now, while we have one chunin of our own, we were lucky. Extremely lucky, because next time we won't be. Expect an expert jounin next time." He analyzed Sasuke. "And, we'd best get back for medical attention for Sasuke." Before leaving with the bodies, Naruto took a kunai and sliced open his right hand.

"I'll take care of him," he informed his team leader. Ripping a small segment of the Uchiha's shirt exposed a deep gash in three places with purple-colored poison dripping from bleeding wounds. Naruto took a bit of his own blood using the blade and applied it very gently to Sasuke's wound in all the open places. To keep him from biting through his tongue he stuck a piece of wood in the genin's mouth. "This will hurt quite a bit, but it'll de-poison you." He held his hand over the wound and concentrated some of his chakra into each slash. The damaged flesh grew shut as Sasuke dug his teeth into the stick in lieu of screaming of pain. It felt something akin to being burned alive. However, it quickly healed and Naruto could grab the dead and continue on. "I'd appreciate it if neither of you followed me." An afterthought struck him and he turned to Tazuna. "Oh, don't worry; I'll help you out." He had a damn good reason to decide so; this had just become an A mission. The A mission he needed.

"Where is Naruto going with those two?" Sakura inquired.

"Uh, he's been given instruction on how to dispose of dead shinobi," Kakashi lied. To himself he laughed at his own words. _Oh, he'll be "disposing" of them alright. There just won't be anything left but bones to dispose of._ Personally he found the fox demons' eating of dead humans to be extremely disgusting. "Naruto will be joining us shortly. Let's go." Without further a word, the two genin trailed off after their sensei.

It was much later in the evening, as they sat around a campfire waiting for sleep that Kakashi stared up at the stars. The mission had somewhat been compromised by Tazuna's deception, but much like the stars, good shinobi were always there if needed. He personally did not want to single-handedly field attacks from enemy jounin but as her virtue he knew the right thing was to help the bridge builder. Sakura and Sasuke sat in calm contemplation, eating the meat that Naruto had sent back before leaving to do some training. She reminded herself to ask him upon returning what animal the meat had been cut from; she had never tasted such a rich cut of beef. Sasuke sat, pondering his life. _Dear brother Itachi,_ he wondered, _why did you murder mom and dad? I'd have liked to have been afforded the chance to get to know both you and them._ He brushed aside a tear, then felt shamed for losing his calm composure. Crying, he knew, meant a lack of willpower that signified losers and fools. Mildly he felt jealous of both of his teammates; Naruto and Sakura both had loving parents and happy homes. Only he had been left alone in the world. He turned to Kakashi just for an instant.

The jounin empathized. "Sasuke, what's bothering you?" He inquired but already knew.

"You would not understand." Sasuke currently had a bad mood and would not be bothered.

Kakashi coughed a brief burst. "Bull. You're in a heap of self-pity which isn't helping you heal."

It seemed as though the Uchiha picked that moment to throw a fit. "What the fuck do you know, okay!" he screamed. "How would you like it if I murdered the one you love most." Surely such an act would get the jounin to understand his pain.

It did not faze the copy nin. "No such person exists," he shamelessly admitted. Staring at his young companion caused a shift in Sasuke's mood. "All I love has already been murdered." Without regard to comfort he leaned back his head. "You don't see me moping about it." He already had confronted the demons of his past and won; Sasuke merely lacked gumption.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke lamented, looking down.

"Don't be," Kakashi suggested in response. "Being 'sorry' is what you do too much." The boy knew his sensei's advice rang true. Ironically, his inner recluse, the 'being sorry' problem, is what caused Sakura's heart to pine for him. She saw a cold shell, hiding from the world and standing defiant against it, knowing all the while that it was she who could break the barrier. She boldly put her left hand on his shoulder, and he merely brushed it off. She chalked it up to shyness. Not once did she notice that he did it not out of lack of interest in her but self-defense against what she represented in his eyes. She was the pretty girl, the status symbol, the culture child; she stood for everything he so desperately fought to kill in himself, to choke the breath out of and remove from his soul.

"Everyone okay?" a voice cried out. Kakashi turned to see Naruto. "As I have said before, a soul cries out for love and hope, while a shinobi feeds on lust and ambition." The line he'd quoted had come from a book written by the first Hokage, which served as a password. Satisfied, Kakashi breathed a sigh.

"Peachy," he uttered. "You can rest a few hours while I keep watch, then its your shift again."

"Understood." Taking Kakashi's seat as the jounin patrolled the camp perimeter, he took a drink of his flash of juice.

"Tell me something, Naruto-sama," Sakura had been curious about, "if Kakashi-sensei gives you your recommendation, what is going to happen?"

Naruto smiled inside; he liked the way she said "what _is going to happen_" instead of what would happen. "I'll get three months of training under Hokage-sama's team of personal jounin, then I'll take the test to become jounin," he explained. "I just need this one more A mission." He'd awaited said moment since becoming a chunin.

"So, you'll be like Kakashi in rank?" Sakura's question came out of pure curiosity, although it seemed a little harsher than she'd have preferred.

"Young jounin are looked down upon a little bit," he divulged, "but officially…yeah. I'll be the same rank as Kakashi-sama." He stared at the fire. Because his heritage had been held secret from all save a few, his remarkable progress of chunin at twelve dumbfounded quite a few uneducated. "I imagine that if I made it I'll be quite the sight. Imagine being the same age as the kids in the cell I'd be leading." His train of thought made them all laugh. No doubt in the genins' minds at least, that such would be startling for a twelve-year old genin to be instructed by a thirteen or so jounin. "Although," he reconsidered, "Hokage-sama could just keep me on missions until I'm about eighteen or so to compensate."

Sakura remembered something she'd wanted to say. "Um, Naruto-sama, that meat you brought back was good." He nodded, accepting the complement. "Where'd you get it?"

He grinned. "The thigh muscles of those nin I killed," he admitted without hesitation. They both very nearly wretched, but somehow held it together. He liked being a fox demon; it made it much easier to eat human flesh.

"Eww!" She coughed. "How…how can you…just eat people!" She considered the ramifications of said action. "I mean, what keeps you from eating someone innocent? What keeps you from eating me?"

He rolled his eyes. "I only eat those who try to kill me, or are my enemy. And, for your information, eating human flesh keeps me fuller, longer than typical meat." He patted Sakura on the shoulder. "Trust me, human meat makes you stronger."

She looked at him wide-eyed like he was nuts. "Just…eww…"

"Go to sleep," he suggested. "You'll wake up feeling better." Both Sakura and Sasuke complied. Naruto, however, only needed one night's rest a week, so he could afford to lose sleep. Tazuna never left his sight that night.

Both genin were awoken by a gentle pat on the head. The morning sunlight streaked in through the trees, creating a beautiful shimmer effect. Any who had slept had done so fully clothed so as to avoid wasting time. The bridge builder always had to be the first priority, so everyone huddled around him and began walking on with their focus on any shinobi that might be headed their way.

"**GET DOWN**!"

Kakashi reacted first to the screech. Sasuke and his comrade piled onto Tazuna as human shields. It had been Naruto's yell in response to a whoosh sound he'd heard. Turns out that a gigantic decapitator's blade swirled just over their heads and buried itself in a tree. Its wielder leapt from the forest canopy and landed on it. "Thanks for the early warning," Kakashi informed Naruto. "I certainly wouldn't have heard that on time." The enemy chuckled. "I see our main villain Gatou's hired some heavy artillery, eh, _Zabuza_?" He removed his hitai-ate from over his left eye, revealing the sharingan.

"So, you know me, don't you, Kakashi the copy nin?" Zabuza sneered.

Sasuke stepped forward but Naruto held him back. "No," the chunin instructed. "I know you're thinking, 'This is my chance!' However, we'd merely be interfering. Protect Tazuna and that's an order." The Uchiha muttered an angry "yes, Naruto-sama" in response. Zabuza caught sight of the chunin. When Naruto looked at him in response, he knew _this_ had to be the reason he'd been specifically brought along; in case they met more resistance than anticipated.

"Ah." His sneer enlarged. "Naruto of the Uzumaki. Child of two powerful fox demons and heir to the legendary demon blood line." He looked at Kakashi. "I see you've got some heavy artillery as well." Eagerly he gathered his speed and bounded into action.


	4. CHAPTER THREE

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CHAPTER THREE – Present day, human world, a few dozen kilometers from the Land of the Waves

Kakashi perfectly understood the intensity of the situation as he scanned the mist for Zabuza. The fight had always been and still remained his sole responsibility, but how easy it would be to make use of his chunin assistance. Naruto, he knew, must already know the location, but per his knowledge it would take that vital instant of speech. It could, by then, already be over. No, he had to ensure that victory came by means of his skills alone. So it startled him when Zabuza made a strange play by appearing directly in front of him. It had been a mere attempt at figuring him out, though, as a slash by Kakashi revealed him to be a mere water clone.

The real Zabuza at once came up behind Kakashi with a blade to his throat. "It's over," he uttered, then tried for the kill. Speed saved the jounin as he replaced himself at the last instant. Zabuza dodged a counterattack from a reappearing Kakashi and headed fort the old man. Materializing behind the bridge builder to avoid Naruto's blistering speed, he slashed and caught the copy nin, or rather, as a dripping revealed, caught a water clone. _Damned Sharingan,_ he thought. Instantly he swung his giant blade around and nearly cleaved his opponent in half, except a last minute dodge prevented it. _Good God he is fast! How can the blonde be faster than _this

To divert his foe away, Zabuza vanished in a puff of smoke. Kakashi leapt towards the water in a desperate attempt to regather his strength. He knew something to be wrong the moment he landed. _What the…? This water's heavy! Oh sh…_ Even before he could complete his thought process it happened. Zabuza popped up and a sphere of water surrounded and ensnared Kakashi. He turned to his team. "Run! Get out of here! If Zabuza wants to keep me inside this water prison, he'll have to stay here!"

Sasuke, not wanting to be a coward, turned t his immediate superior. "You got a plan, Naruto-sama?"

The blonde chunin grinned. NOW it was his time. "Yup. You're not afraid of getting wet, are you?" His answer came with a headshake. "Then let's go!" They charged for Zabuza. Sasuke went for the clone, Naruto went for the main body. _Sasuke!_ Naruto telepathically thought. _Do not speak, just hear my thoughts! I'm speaking to your mind via telepathy!_ And he outlined, silently, the plan.

Zabuza's clone regarded the genin in front of him. "Hi, there!" Sasuke cheerfully stated. With one move the missing nin swung his blade. However, it passed through the genin's neck without touching a thing. Genjutsu, he realized. "Now, did you actually think that you were gonna win?"

"Nice one," Sasuke complimented, guarded from sight by Naruto's illusion. "I have to land behind Zabuza at the same time as you're in front of him." Naruto understood. As they dashed for the lake's edge, Naruto cupped a hand and when Sasuke put his foot in it he got launched into the air.

"You must not be teaching them well if he thinks a simple illusion can get him close to me!" Zabuza sneered and prepared his blade with his free hand. Naruto unsheathed his own katana and met his foe's weapon halfway.

_What the…?_ Zabuza thought. Sasuke made himself visible and drew a kunai, attempting to stab his opponent. The missing nin knew at once what had transpired, and knew his options were either to be impaled in the back by Sasuke's dagger, or to be allowed to move out of the attack zone at the expense of freeing Kakashi. He chose the lesser of two evils and vanished.

"Brilliant plan," Kakashi complimented.

All three, having succeeded, dashed for the old man, utilizing all of their speed to get there before Zabuza. Naruto heard rustling in the trees, but his primary concern was Tazuna. Sakura stood her ground as the members of her team made their way quickly to very close to her position. Zabuza popped up a fraction of a second later. Both Naruto and Kakashi seemed poised to wipe the floor with him.

_Damn,_ Zabuza thought, as he found himself surrounded by his foes. Sakura and Sasuke quite possibly posed no threat at all, even as a cohesive unit. Naruto posed a more severe threat, however, but could be handled; only Kakashi could kill him easily. However, the three around him could make his escape from Kakashi, to say nothing of accomplishing his mission, virtually impossible. Panicking as he searched for an escape, he came to a horrible realization. _I'm screwed; Kakashi won't make a mistake._

Silently, his train of thought came to a screeching halt as three distinct needles shoved themselves into his neck. At once he collapsed to the ground. A moment of perfect silence continued as the sight of the vanquished foe refused to register. They looked up to see a youthful, masked figure standing on a high tree branch. He couldn't possibly be older than the genin.

"Finally got the bastard," the masked figure announced. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall take him to be disposed of." He regarded Kakashi directly. "Sorry if I stole your fun but I wanted the pleasure of killing Zabuza myself."

Sasuke stormed ahead of Sakura, with angered concern on his mind. "Now, just a minute!" he angrily screeched. "This guy can't be older than me," he gestured at the masked figure, "but he took down Zabuza, who wasn't exactly a pushover, in a second!" He kicked up some dirt. "I mean, are we that worthless?"

Completely ignoring the Uchiha, Naruto calmly and assuredly approached the kid. "You really helped out!" He extended his right arm. "Put 'er there!" Smirking beneath his mask, the child shook Naruto's hand in friendship. He felt a momentary prick and examined his palm on the withdraw. However he showed no signs of feeling it. "Be glad to help, we are!"

_Hmm…the kid must've gone near one of the trees. He gave me a splinter,_ he thought. He took to heart his mission. _But I'll take care of it when we're farther away._ He wrapped Zabuza's limp arm around his neck. Summoning all of his speed, they were gone in a flash of smoke.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Sasuke, haven't you learned anything? Young, powerful shinobi are uncommon, not nonexistent. This probably won't be the last time you see a shinobi younger than you and as strong as me."

Sasuke moped left and right. He had grown sick of all these young prodigies. How come all his painful training didn't help? Of all the useless things to be; second in rank and skill to a loudmouth blonde just because of certain things. Naruto had an excuse: he was a full-blooded fox demon. But how did this new kid do it?

Sakura had an unrelated concern of Kakashi. "Sensei, that…guy…said Naruto was a demon…" She'd asked.

"Yeah," Kakashi revealed. "Hokage-sama's wife Kyuubi is one of ten legendary fox demons from hell. She is his mother. His biological father is an unspeakably powerful demon clan leader."

"So, Hokage-sama isn't his real dad?" She struggled to believe the information. "W…Wait. If his human body isn't his real one, what does he really look like?"

Kakashi looked upward. This stumped him; even he had only a verbal description. "Imagine, if you will," he tried to remember the chunin's words, "a blonde-furred fox with nine tails that's about ten feet tall." Both genin's eyes widened. "And he's not fully grown."

Sasuke stood with eyes wide and open-mouthed. "He's…he's not fully grown?" He knew he'd regret asking, but had to know. "How…how big'll he get?"

"Oh, probably about a hundred feet tall." Kakashi reconsidered. "In his demon form. As a human he can look like anything he wants." He turned to ask Naruto and found him not there. "Oh…crap." He knew at once the location of the blonde chunin. He also knew that in taking the course of action he'd chosen, he was forcing the others to stay out.

* * *

Haku, the masked figure, landed in a small circular clearing after carrying Zabuza about a kilometer from the fight zone. Gently he craned the limp Zabuza's neck upward slightly, making sure to pull the needles out carefully. As an afterthought, he clamped the edge of the splinter in between two fingernails and yanked it out with no pain. With better than surgical precision, he tended to the holes in the missing nin's neck. Groggily the ninja woke up. "You're a sadistic one, aren't you Haku?" The kid smiled and removed his mask.

"It did the trick, didn't it?" Zabuza let loose an uncharacteristic chuckle at the boy's words.

At least a dozen meters from them, a certain splinter invisibly morphed into the figure it had been originally. Cloaked by invisibility jutsu, Naruto stood up ever so quietly. Taking into use his stealth, he crept towards his prey; the child. If he could effectively eliminate the boy, the weakened Zabuza would be child's play.

"How were their defenses?" Haku's question seemed only natural.

"They can be quite the force when tamed up," he admitted, "but that jounin, Kakashi, I dunno, he's a powerful force. I saw him copying my moves." He rapped his fist. "Damn that Sharingan!"

Stilling his breath, Naruto crept, one step every time one of them began speaking. The change from silence to sound best hid footsteps at the beginning of speech rather than the middle or end. With unequaled silence he slid a calm hand into a kunai pocket. His feet seemed like lead weights as he moved very slowly. He slowed his heartbeat; any sound unnecessary had to be eliminated.

"I'm certain you'll break the Sharingan next time," Haku reaffirmed.

Zabuza shook the sleepiness from the death trance out of his head. "Just a week," he knew. "Just a week then we'll kill 'em all."

Naruto, so close to Haku he could potently smell his sweat, slid a kunai into attack position above his head. It took him a whole minute to ready it. At once he saw his target. Primary carotid artery, a killing spot it was. The arm muscles tensed, ready for a go. With clenched teeth, he swung with all his might.

**Wham**; he found a katana in his abdomen.

It had been with such speed that he hadn't felt it at first. He'd barely seen it before it was over. The immediate moment before he would have dealt a fatal blow the boy drew his ninjato and impaled him. The masked Haku, but without mask, grinned as he sheathed his weapon. "Nice try," he complimented. "I would never have guessed it if Zabuza-san hadn't seen the outline of your invisibility jutsu." He put a cautioned hand behind him. "Stay down, Zabuza-san, I alone shall defeat him."

Naruto's chakra seeped out with his blood through the wound on his gut. A fatal injury for any mortal, he didn't fear the blood loss of the wound. He feared the loss of chakra. His demonic soul would take care of the wound. He made himself alert as a prison of ice mirrors rose up and surrounded him.

"This will be your final resting place, Uzumaki Naruto," his opponent stated. He barely had been alert when his foe zoomed at him. He almost took a needle to the throat if he had not ducked. From the opposing side came another attempt. Pumping every ounce of his chakra to his feet he bounded out of the way, although not before taking a needle to the leg. It had missed its target—a vital nerve—but had got him nonetheless.

_Damn, he's too fast,_ Naruto realized. _If I don't end this quick, I'll be dead._ He dodged just fast enough to take a needle to the chest instead of the neck. _I must end this right now_. His opponent tore off from a mirror straight across from him, his target was a vital neck point. Mustering every possible bit of speed, Naruto created four shadow clones. Haku went straight for the main body. Landing, he knew he'd gotten close enough to end it. He swung his right arm to throw the needle.

It didn't even go halfway to launching. The main kage bunshin caught the wrist of Haku's arm. Not wasting a moment, he punched him furiously, straight in the kisser with a right hook. He felt his blow knock a tooth loose. He followed it up with a clockwise roundhouse kick with his right foot. A bit of blood accompanied the loose tooth as it left the mouth. All of his muscular arm strength he channeled into a double-fisted chest strike. "U!"

The other three clones got into place several feet from where Haku'd been launched. In perfect sync they all landed the same crouching upwards kick, shouting.

"Zu!"

"Ma!"

"Ki!"

The main Naruto took a running leap off the back of the first shadow clone. Angrily pumping chakra into his right palm, a familiar ball of spiraling blue chakra formed. It was the rasengan. Haku's eyes widened for ever a brief moment, as the injured blonde drove the sphere into his enemy's gut at full force. "SUPER NARUTO RENDAN!"

For a fleeting moment, the entire forest went silent. Zabuza saw what had transpired. "HAKU…!" But his cry fell on deaf ears. His breath was stilled. Naruto's heart stopped for an instant in anticipation. Then a loud explosion lit up the area for hundreds of meters around, and jerked Haku backwards, straight through a diamond-hard mirror. The explosion chucked him with such force that he found himself blasted through a four-foot thick tree. His hand twitched, perhaps from immediate response from the nervous system, and then it fell limp. Forever.

Injured, Naruto knelt to rest. He recalled his other enemy, almost too late. Zabuza jerked forward only to meet a kunai to the forehead. The chunin looked up. His savior had been Kakashi.

He smiled. "When did you plan on showing up?" Naruto's question brought a grin from the copy nin.

"I got lost on…"

Naruto cut him off. "Cut the shit. I know better. But thank you."

That evening, they once more camped for the evening. Naruto's battle wound had not bee at all serious afterward, so a feast on Zabuza and Haku's remains replenished him. Both genin watched in disgust as he cut the meat from the flesh, cooked and ate it. Sasuke had some rations left, so he abstained. Sakura, disgusted, initially declined but gave in out of hunger. Kakashi kept watch over Tazuna and the group in order to let his blonde subordinate sleep.

Kakashi patted the sleeping boy's head. _Sleep, Naruto. You've proved yourself many times over. I'll be glad to write you the best recommendation you've ever got._


	5. CHAPTER FOUR

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CHAPTER FOUR – Present day, Human world, a few dozen kilometers from the Land of the Waves

The beaming brightness of the morning sun shone brilliantly through the forest canopy. A sleepy pair of eyes opened up, painfully accepting the sun's rays. Birds chirping and bug noises awoke Naruto, and he groggily yawned and rose to greet the day. He slapped himself to completely remove tiredness from his face, and stood up. Sakura gave him a thumbs up. "All's clear on this front, Naruto-sama!" Her cheerful exclamation reminded him of himself more than her, but understood and smiled. Sasuke forced a half-smile and nodded.

"You are truly skilled," Kakashi complimented. "You're probably jounin material as is!" Being a high-ranked ninja, he had come across many young, yet powerful shinobi. Naruto certainly ranked up there amongst them. "Your combination of the Rasengan jutsu with your trademark Naruto Rendan I can only describe as flawless. I doubt I'd have pulled off a victory against Haku quite as completely." Sasuke turned his back to such praise not being directed at him. After all, no one ever noticed him.

"You kept up with the combat, didn't you, Sasuke?" Startled, the Uchiha faced a grinning Naruto. "I could sense you in the distance, observing, seeing through the illusion." He patted his comrade on the shoulder. "You developed your sharingan. Impressive for a genin." Sasuke very nearly choked on his own breath. Almost unable to comprehend the idea of being noticed by someone, the prospect of actually being praised by someone, he found it difficult but smiled.

"I…" Sasuke stammered. He didn't want to say it, but it had to be said. He felt it would betray weakness. "I want to be…" He swallowed his pride as his eyes began to water. "I want to be as good as you, Naruto!" A tear slid from his left eye down his cheek. Several more followed as a mass of emotion all erupted at once. "I'm…I'm never a help to you at all!"

"No Sasuke," Naruto argued, "You're a huge help!" He pulled his comrade closer in for a warm embrace as he silenced the boy's doubts. "You just keep training, and anything's possible." Scarcely could he believe that such an outpour of feelings had come from such a staunchly drawn boy.

Of all those startled by Sasuke's admittance, none were affected more so than Kakashi. He'd felt a bit of sanity, a bit of humanity return to the loner. Sasuke himself felt better as his eyes began to slowly dry back to normal. As tense moment of sorrow ended, quickly did their attention turn back to the mission. Naruto had certainly not expected to hear such a strange outpour, but as of the moment he had to use every ounce of his heightened senses to his advantage. Zabuza and Haku quite likely were the greatest threat, but still, Gatou could be hiding some more trump cards. The rich bastard certainly wouldn't let something as pitiful as the death of a primary weapon stop his plan. The blonde estimated, though, that the missing nin he'd eliminated were the most powerful ninja he could get. Now, he figured, they'd be fielding swarms of bandits.

"Um, Kakashi?" The jounin craned his neck towards Tazuna. The bridge builder had a concern. "I lied to your village and that could've gotten you all killed. Why'd you stick around?"

"Because true shinobi do not merely bend to the will of whomever pays the piper," Kakashi explained. "If we simply left you to die after seeing your agony, we'd be no better than Zabuza." He smiled as they walked on. "Don't worry. We'll make the land of the Waves by mid-afternoon." They would complete their journey without a severe hindrance. Gatou's final act would be as Naruto predicted, and would result in a flawless execution of a plan conceived by Sasuke. The money "borrowed" from Gatou would help replenish the Land of the Waves's economy. Tazuna would, in all of his days, never forget the four from the Leaf who chose to do what they did not have to, and save his life. Kakashi could never have been prouder of his team.

The palace of the Hokage, for obvious reason, stood grander and more wondrous than any other building of the Village Hidden in the Leaf. To Naruto, it had much more meaning than that, it had been his home and place of fondest memories. The bottom two floors above the basement and ground level were used for offices of those belonging to Yondaime's cabinet. A Hokage had innumerable tasks to attend to, so Konoha had six departments answering to four secretaries. They were organized as such: The Department of Warfare, and the Department of ANBU Defense, both of which answered to the Secretary of Village Security, the Department of Special Services, which answered to a secretary of the same title, the Department of the Ruling Committee, which answered to the Village Chancellor, the Department of Education, which gave a weekly report to the Principal General, and the newly-formed Department of Territory, who answered also to the Village Chancellor. Currently, Naruto sat with the three jounin who'd forwarded their without-an-unkind-word recommendation letters to the Secretary of Special Services.

"I have faith that you'll make jounin, Naruto," Gai cheered, then struck a seated pose. "Just have faith in the power of youth!" He, as well as the other two, had already spoken privately and separately, with the secretary, their words being part of the decision on Naruto's future. If anyone could be worthy of jounin it would be the honorable son, thought Gai, and the feeling held somewhat mutually among the other two. The anticipation could not have been any higher when the door opened. With a nearly stilled breath Naruto entered the office.

"Take a seat, Naruto," Jiraiya kindly offered. As the blonde chunin sat across from the secretary, the mood in the room became distinctly more matter-of-fact. He coughed as the old pervert shuffled his papers. "Naruto, let's get down to business." He tried to word his sentences carefully. "I must admit, your progress as of late is simply breathtaking. Only a year after achieving stat7us as a chunin already you have procured sufficient missions and recommendations to be trained formally as a jounin. I would certainly not have taken this decision lightly, even though you are the Honorable Son." Even with the word of three respectable jounin, Jiraiya doubted Naruto's preparedness for jounin status. Still, the blow-by-blow description of the boy's fight with Haku from Kakashi held some more weight.

"Have you made your decision, Jiraiya-sama?" Naruto forced the end of the discussion by asking the final question. He could feel his stomach twisting from anticipation.

Jiraiya squirmed. "I…Really you just aren't quite ready," he could almost feel Naruto attempting to avoid betraying his sense of let down, and it began to weigh on him. Uchiha Itachi also had not been "quite ready," yet look at his final skill level before dying. He put up a near Kage-level fight against Yondaime-sama. Every instinct shouted of Naruto's potential. "But I could very well be wrong. I'll allow it in this case. A week from today you'll be assigned to a skilled team of ANBU and other jounin who'll oversee your training and examination." Naruto sprung from his seat to shake Jiraiya's hand.

"Thank you very much, sir!" He had waited for this moment for quite some time.

Sakura had experienced nothing quite like the previous week. Her new third teammate after Naruto had left had nowhere near the same level of talent. She'd grown somewhat attached to him during their single mission together. She missed his simply amazing resourcefulness, and ability to strategize under unbelievable pressure. The human flesh eating, however, that she could do without. As of the current moment she would be meeting with Sasuke to see Naruto off on his first day of the three months of training as a jounin. Predictably, the Uchiha already had arrived, and waited still for his former teammate to show up.

"You guys really care about me, don'tcha!"

They turned to see him behind them. Sasuke smiled; the strong suit of Naruto could only be speed and stealth. Sakura gave the blonde chunin a tight hug. "You do your best and make jounin for me!" she cooed. "You're so talented." She separated from their warm embrace to allow Sasuke an opportunity to shake his hand.

"I wish you the best, Naruto," he wished. "And thank you," he grinned, "because now I'll work to surpass you!"

"You'll be working for quite some time, then." Naruto grinned as well. "A few months from now you'll be taking the chunin exam and I hope you'll have as much faith in yourselves as I had in me." A figure approached.

"Your training shall soon begin, Honorable Son!" Naruto turned, and rolled his eyes; it could only be Ebisu, the closet pervert.

"Very soon, Ebisu-sama," he said through clenched teeth. Ebisu boiled where he stood. _He's with that Uchiha brat,_ he thought. _Reject whose brother betrayed Hokage-sama._ The jounin opened his mouth to protest, but a single lift of Naruto's hand forced his silence. "I said, very soon, Ebisu-sama." The blonde said goodbye to his friends and left with the pervert. His former comrades from Gai and Asuma's squads already had seen him.

About ten meters away, Ebisu uttered, "You'd be best not hanging around that riffraff." Naruto glared at him, and he swallowed hard. "I shall shut up now, Honorable Son." Naruto beamed.

Twenty minutes later, Ebisu stood across from the Honorable Son he served, in a classroom-like setting. Naruto sat in one of six desks in an area. Behind him nearly seven jounin and five ANBU stared at the boy. "Now then," Ebisu began. "What will follow for the next three months is intense training which will prepare you for the tasks and challenges that await you as a jounin." He took a sip of water. "Four stages of instruction will follow and then you will automatically be enrolled in the jounin exam. Stage one will be 'Strategy Training.' Any good jounin must know the strengths and weaknesses of his team, and must pick the proper staff for each mission. Furthermore, a good jounin must know how to make use of, or not use that team in combat. This will involve some basic classroom tutoring and a lot of field instruction. I will instruct you in the class," two of the jounin approached from the back, "and these two will provide field instruction."

An almost lustfully dressed kunoichi approached as Ebisu took a seat. Naruto saw the pervert sit down quickly so as to hide his hard-on. "My name is Mitarashi Anko," she beckoned," and I am your instructor for stage two. Stage two is 'Fight Training.' A jounin who lacks taijutsu begs to die. Although you and I may use different styles, I still have much to instruct you on the art of physical combat." What followed could only be described as a fifteen-second-long nervous breakdown cleverly disguised as an attempt to impress him with a taijutsu display. "There will be in-dojo and field exercises." She took a seat.

A pale, sickly figure with heavy bags under his eyes approached from the back. He let a few mild coughs, then a near Earth-shattering one before blowing his nose. "I am Gekkou Hayate, he introduced. "Stage three is my specialty, because you'll be given 'Weapons Training.'" He drew his ninja-to. "In the wrong hands, this is nothing more than a metal stick. Any skilled jounin must know the sword, as well as any of a dozen different weapons." He sheathed his blade. "There have been myths of shinobi swordsmen capable of cutting down a hundred men from a single stroke." Once more he coughed a brief fit. His partner jounin, reluctant to come within ten feet of him, had to be coaxed. "I will provide in-field and in-dojo instruction, and my partner will lecture." He sat down, his partner putting a whole desk's distance between them. When Hayate nearly coughed in Anko's direction, the kunoichi covered her face.

A man whose head curvature from the forehead up sat underneath a black bandana approached, along with the one remaining jounin and all five ANBU. "The last stage will be a two-parter," he started. "My name is Morino Ibiki. Stage four will be 'Interrogation Training,' that's part one under my command, and 'Instruction training.' I will teach you the fine art of extracting information." He and his partner took a seat. An ANBU operative with a raccoon mask, whose muscles looked thin and stringy, approached.

"Instruction Training shall be the last two weeks. We shall accompany you as you're sent on actual missions with teams of genin and give instruction two aspiring chunin." Naruto raised his hand. "Yes, Honorable Son?"

"Um, I don't recall ever receiving instruction when I was an aspiring chunin," he recalled.

"You never put in a formal request," the simple answer was. "Some genin do."

"Ah." His question answered, another came to mind. "This tutoring you're all doing for my jounin exam preparation is great, but isn't it a bit much just for me?" The ANBU operative chuckled.

"Just for you, that would be a lot." He cleared his throat. "But one other will receive this briefing after you; the other candidate, Umino Iruka." He checked his watch. "You are dismissed to your room. Each night you are here, lights out is at ten sharp, and lights on is at six A.M."

Naruto smiled as he left the classroom. _Iruka-sensei's finally getting his chance.­_

For the next two and a half weeks, Ebisu and his two jounin assistants proctored stage one. A young chunin and a mid twenties chunin walked lockstep to the first classroom instruction. Iruka looked down at his former academy student. "Top of your class genin at age six," he remembered, "I never imagined we'd be training as jounin together." He doubted his purpose.

"I never imagined myself teaching genin at my age," Naruto joked. "That's what'll happen if I make it."

Iruka smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Naruto, even for a fox demon, you're amazingly talented. I am proud to have been your senior academy instructor." He knew the boy had talent. _Much more talent than I,_ he thought.

The classroom door slid open and the two took seats apart from each other. Ebisu scratched his head and began speaking. "On A& B missions, there will be a lot of concern for combat, not to mention split-second decisions that you, the team leaders and officers, will be required to make." A piece of chalk he slid into his hand as he came to the blackboard. "You will have to choose your team carefully. As a very general rule, we categorize shinobi into these major categories." Several rows and columns of a table he drew. "Illusionists generally lack in the taijutsu area, but sometimes can be well educated in ninjutsu. Fighters are very strong and excel in taijutsu but usually lack genjutsu talent, although good many are somewhat decent at ninjutsu. Weapons Experts and/or Swordsmen will almost always be best with any number of non-chakra weapons. Usually good at taijutsu they often lack nin and genjutsu. A Jutsu Expert lacks genjutsu and is mediocre at taijutsu, and is excellent for long battles. These are the main specialized categories. Some are generalized and have all three types of jutsu, but don't excel in any one. Yes, Iruka?"

Iruka shook his head. "I noticed all these categories are physically related…"

"We have subcategories as well," he answered. "These subcategories usually refer to how the shinobi thinks or acts. A Non-Thinker reacts to given stimuli, relies almost entirely on observation, and is good for short battles. However, they almost never predict well. An Analyzer attempts to cross-examine all he or she sees and senses, depends on deductive reasoning, and is good for espionage. In a multi-on-multi combat situation they usually excel. A Predicter utilizes statistics as well as gut instinct and logic to figure out possible outcomes to scenarios. They are good at scouting in unknown areas. A Strategist can usually utilize their knowledge to figure out a plan for any contingency. They typically abstain from primary combat roles in order to be of supreme effective use to the team, so it is best to have no more than one. Can either of you tell me which of these categories you fit into?"

Iruka raised his hand. "I'm a generalized strategist, I believe." He'd given his categorization a lot of thought before answering.

Naruto raised his hand. "I'm an analyzing fighter," he answered, "but on occasion I can be a bit of a Non-thinker and I have a tendency to sometimes be an illusionist."

Ebisu seemed impressed. "Good. Now, for the first exercise, we'll be testing your ability to select teams as necessary for missions; you'll be presented with ten missions and one list of candidates for those missions. This period shall last another forty minutes, and you have the remaining time." He handed them a pile of papers. Quickly both chunin tore into their assignment.

Iruka examined each mission and each candidate and had his answered in less than ten minutes. Ebisu instructed him that after turning in his assignment he had free reign of any of several training rooms. Naruto looked on in amazement at his former sensei. It took him every one of the remaining minutes to complete his. After the period was over, the closet pervert examined the papers. _Hmm,_ he thought. _Iruka picked the best candidates for each mission, and Naruto picked the perfect missions for the candidates, based on who would develop their skills most from each mission. _It was an interesting idea, but it just wasn't the right answer.

The fourth training room had enough room for Naruto to get in a great deal of practice. The Uzumaki way of training involved a forbidden technique that only members of the legendary demon bloodline had. A small pile of gravel the blonde shinobi took from his pocket he furiously crushed in his right hand. Once it resembled a gathering of fine powder, he sprinkled it on the floor in a pile. He then took his left thumb and cut it on his fangs, making sure to drip six droplets of blood onto it before his thumb healed. The gravel dust and blood droplets twisted and bubbled, rising like over-floured dough as it reshaped, until six exact duplicates of Naruto stood. These were not shadow clones to disappear when wounded, they were flesh and blood, real Naruto's. They, like the real thing, healed semi-instantly from any non-fatal wound and only killing them could make them disappear.

A tense moment of silence shattered when all vanished in puffs of smoke. Instinctively the six duplicates knew one another from the real Naruto, and worked as a cohesive unit. The real shinobi came down near a mark on the floor. He sensed an air disturbance near him and jabbed a kunai to his right. He caught one of the clones in the stomach, yanked out the blade, whirled around behind him and rammed it into the back of his head. The clone's surprised look came a moment before his body returned to dust. Almost at once a sword jabbed through his chest, inches from his heart. He grinned the clone had sacrificed itself to allow another an opening. "I didn't think I was that stupid," the other clone said after removing the blade. "An enemy would not have intentionally missed your heart." The real Naruto spun around with his own sword and chopped the clone in half.

One fraction of a second before he'd have taken a fatal stab to the head from another clone behind him he delivered a backwards kick to the chin of his assailiant. He then turned, in the instant of recoil from the kick, and impaled the clone through the heart. Down to three enemies, Naruto suddenly felt better about the odds as he sheathed his weapon. He felt a bit peeved about falling for the earlier clone trap, but his wound wasn't too bad. It would slow him down, though. He just barely ducked below a right hook aimed at the back of his head. Crouching and aiming a rising kick at the clone behind him, he saw the attacker bend t dodge it, at the same time, a second clone delivered a sharp kick to his chest, throwing Naruto into the back wall.

A clone immediately appeared in front of Naruto, the blonde chunin just barely able to move out of the way. When he missed the punch and buried his fist in the wall, the clone got a kunai into the top of his head. The second clone had his chance and took it, summoning all of his speed. His katana sailed and caught Naruto in the side. The blonde shinobi made use of a replacement jutsu, reemerging behind the clone, a sharp kick broke the attacker's knee and allowed Naruto to bring him down. He then decapitated the clone with a roundhouse kick.

"They intentionally weakened their attack," the remaining clone said, grinning. "I'm your real threat."

"I see you got my ego." The real Naruto sneered.

"Pride cometh before the fall."

The clone kicked off the fight. The real Naruto barely dodged a furious jump kick. The clone landed and swung his foot again, the real shinobi blocking it and following with a roundhouse that connected, startling the clone long enough for Naruto to strike at his chest violently with a punch. Not able to move his head back swiftly enough to dodge, the clone brought down his left hand to push the punch aside. Spinning synergistically with the blocking, the clone attempted a sweep kick. Naruto leapt over it, only to be kicked in the cut on the descent. He used the motion to push off the floor with his hands, but got nailed in the back by a rising knee when he did so.

Recovering after being knocked across the room, Naruto wiped away sweat. _He's too fast. _He activated his demon eye, which gave him sight into the clone's chakra pathways. _My pathways are slightly busy healing me, so my speed suffers. Perhaps if I switch to gentle fist style, hit a few tenketsu_ (chakra points)_, I can cut off some speed._

That's when he noticed it.

"Are you giving up?" He ignored the clone's arrogant question. _There's a chakra point on his back a bit larger than any others. I wonder what'll happen if I hit THAT one with a lot of chakra?_ His objective, to be concise, was clear; he had only one opportunity, and it involved hitting one precise chakra point. The slightly larger one on the clone's back had to mean something. The clone persisted. "Come on!"

Naruto assumed stance. **; Hit me, you piece of trash. ;**

The clone popped his knuckles. **; Can't be a good boy, now can you? ;** In a heartbeat, the clone already stood in front of Naruto.

Summoning every bit of speed imaginable, Naruto ducked a right hook and spun behind his clone. Furiously did he funnel chakra to his right fingertip. The clone prepared to spin with fist clenched as Naruto jammed the chakra point with the fingertip. _Gentle fist?_ The clone realized. _That point won't do anything. What…?_ His thought process got cut off as he neared the real shinobi's head. Before completing the punch, it hit him.

He couldn't move at all.

As Naruto visually examined his clone's chakra pathways, he couldn't believe his eyes. _That…that one point enabled me to seal all chakra flow for movement!_ He'd effectively discovered a weak spot. But did this revelation apply only to demons? He could worry about that later as the clone's demon power began to heal the damage. He returned the clone to dust with a swipe of his blade. Over the next hour, he tested the theory with eight clones and dozens of rocks. Some interesting points surfaced. One, even though they were exact clones, the larger chakra points were different for each new clone, and two, if twice the amount of chakra needed for paralysis got pumped in, it meant immediate death for the clone. Two theories emerged; either this had to be a fluke, a by-product of the jutsu, or otherwise…

This could be a deadly new technique. That night, he slept, dreaming of the possibilities, knowing he had to try it out, test it on human subjects.


	6. CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE – Present day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(Author's note: This chapter contains a yaoi scene. It isn't too graphic, but I just wanted to warn you.)

At precisely six o'clock in the morning, the light in the hallway and in the bedrooms of Iruka and Naruto flashed on. The twenties-ish chunin squirmed a bit before pulling himself to a seated position at the edge of the bed. How much he had longed of this one moment, this moment where it actually hit him that he was training for his jounin. To be taking the examination with Naruto, a ninja half his age yet already twice his strength, it boggled his young mind. He didn't know whether to feel happy for his student, or pitiful for himself. How much a slap in the face did it seem that so many of his students would be come chunin and jounin sometimes, while it had taken him a long time to attain his present rank. Still, he showed needed respect for Naruto; if any of his pupils would become worldly symbols of greatness, it could only be he.

His door flew open. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Iruka shook his head at Naruto's question. "Well, I wanted to let you know this is our first field exercise." He threw his former sensei a rectangular shaped object that looked mostly edible. "Eat this. It'll keep you going." The door shut as the blonde chunin left.

Ebisu quickly approached Naruto. "Honorable Son, this exercise will test your planning skills. Do your best!"

Naruto gave him the thumbs-up. "Thank you." He headed for the outside area.

Both jounin greeted him at the front entrance to the outside forest area, but the one on the right took the blonde chunin separately into the field than Iruka. It seemed that the exercise was meant for individual training. The main clearing of the field had no fewer than eight different shinobi standing in two rows. Naruto examined the bunch of them; all chunin, all mid twenties like Iruka. "Your first field exercise will be choosing teams," the jounin explained. "It is different than simply reading off a paper or a dossier; in the field before missions is where you get to know the team before going outward." He walked back and forth amongst the two rows. "Each jounin usually has his or her unique way of leading and choosing teams." He motioned Naruto to get started. "Assume the first mission is this: a major enemy of our Hokage has been organizing and must be assassinated."

"Right then." Naruto strolled a few steps then stopped near the third main in the front row. He threw a punch. When the ninja did not budge, or even flinch, the blonde ninja seemed intrigued. This meant one of several things. "Tell me, why did you not attempt to protect yourself?"

"There was no anger in your face or posture," the shinobi explained, "and from what I heard your heartbeat was normal. Ergo, I knew you would stop."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And if I'd decided to punch you for the hell of it?"

The shinobi grinned. "I'd have kicked your ass."

Naruto laughed and patted the guy on the shoulder. "Great, you're on the team."

At once the jounin spoke up. "Why?" Naruto looked at him confused.

"Because he's good at reading non-verbal cues and responding accordingly; he'd be good for confrontations."

The jounin seemed impressed. "Good."

Naruto approached a kunoichi in the front row. Pulling his blade from its sheath he cleaved her in two, and her body vanished into nothingness. _Hmm,_ he thought, realizing the truth. He sheathed his weapon just in time to block an attack from an invisibility-jutsu cloaked shinobi. "Great job, that decoy attack was flawless. I merely saw you by your slightly visible outline." He nodded of approval.

"Explain your choice, Naruto." He looked at the jounin, less confused this time.

"She lured me into her trap, one which had been carefully planned and perfectly executed. She's good for eliminating unnecessary servants of the main target." Once more the blonde's explanation held up satisfactorily.

"Pick one more," the jounin instructed.

Naruto walked slowly down the back row. Upon passing the second person from the right, he found a knife to his throat. Replacing himself and appearing behind the man, he held a kunai against the back of the guy's head. "Nice try. You're on the team." Naruto glanced at the jounin. "I don't think I need to explain this one." It struck the jounin as simply mind boggling that the Honorable Son would be so good at analysis of skill. Still, the duties of a jounin would require desperate decisions and calculated moves that could not be experienced in a controlled environment. No amount of slack could be given. Over the next hour, six different "pick a team" exercises were conducted with remarkably precise results on Naruto's part.

"All right, Honorable Son," the jounin finally admitted. "We've done all we can today. You can go now. Your mother, Honorable Lady of Konoha, is waiting for you in training room three."

_My mother?_ The prospect interested him. His mother had been instrumental in his training and skill development, but she hadn't given him a private lesson in four years. Still, he dared not pass up the opportunity; his mother's private lessons were semi-legendary for their ability to instill talent. Kurenai, for exmaple, had gone from genin to jounin in two years of Kyuubi's training. To get a private lesson from the second most powerful fox demon in existence, there could be few higher honors.

The door to training room three flung open and when Naruto entered, slid shut. **; My son, ;** she remarked, **; To be training to be jounin, I am proud of you. ;**

He bowed. **; Thank you, my mother. ;**

Closing her eyes, Kyuubi's fox magic overcame her, transforming her sexy red dress into her battle attire. **; Before I can allow you to continue training, however, I must know beyond a doubt you are ready. ; **She assumed stance and opened her eyes. In human form with genjutsu hiding her fox tails and ears, she could not exceed ten percent power. **; Let us fight using Uzumaki-ryu style physical art. Prove yourself worthy. Injure me, my son. ; **She grinned.

In a flash he hovered over her a brief instant. A mid-air spin kick aimed at her head found a left forearm in its path. Immediately, a similar kick intended for her chest struck a downward right arm thrust. A right-handed straight punch she brushed aside. Faster than Naruto's comprehension she plowed a fist into his face, blasting him across the room. **; Pitiful, my son! ;** She expected a better attack. _Your real father hit harder when he made love to me._

Obviously, some kind of warm up the attack had been. Releasing the genjutsu allowed him more of his power. Filling every crevace of his body with chakra he zoomed over to his mother's position. He faked a punch, going instead for her head instead of her stomach. The real punch, being unexpected, she didn't react in time to prevent a powerful blow to her forehead. A series of rapid-fire kicks connected with her torso. He then funneled all of his power into his punch, aimed at just below her chest. The next few moves were unreal; recovering from the attacks at a blistering pace, she pushed his desperation blow aside then rammed a standing side kick into his abdomen, its joust-like force almost planting him in the floor several feet away.

**; Damn, ;** he uttered. **; That probably was the best attack I could muster in my human form! ; **He resumed his genjutsu.

Her usual dress she resumed. **; Son, ;** she informed him, **; I've been fighting in hell since before the times of Greek mythology, even. You're just twelve years. I didn't expect much other than what I've seen. ;** Considering how powerful she was, his performance had been nothing short of remarkable. **; Still, you surprised me. I estimate you to be…slightly higher in talent than Kakashi. ;** She winked. **; Of course, I could be wrong. ;** She ruffled his hair on the way out. _In a couple thousand years,_ she estimated, _he'll be one hell of a warrior. He may even outmatch Kenzo, his real father. I think he'll be kage-level material in three years._ It had been his performance that still amazed her. _Naruto adapted to my skill level in his second attempt! I never expected that._

After the word-up from his mother he moved on to a class session with Ebisu. Once more he sat adjacent to Iruka, hope set on doing well and mind set on completing his exercises. "Okay, it is time for the second lesson, this one may take more than a single class session of your time to solve." Ebisu coughed, and took a sip of his water. He remembered his own tests when applying for jounin, and this had been a damn hard one. "You have until four class days from this one to understand and complete the assignment." He handed to each a dossier with four imaginary candidates. "Wire this down or commit it to memory, for I am going to say it but one time." His task had been simple; one of sandaime Hokage's secret mission records had to be given to them, with intent of seeing if they could come to the correct conclusion. "Your task is to write down a detailed essay of what should be done in this mission. You will know what the team knew, and no more." Several more pieces of paper were handed out. "You are on a mission with intent to perform a series of high level assassinations within the government of the Village Hidden in Mist.

"The intended purpose is not to destabilize the government, but to place in command a Mizukage that will agree to our village's terms on a vital trade agreement. If you fail, a war may break out. If you succeed, our village's economy will skyrocket for generations to come. The extra papers you have detail the known bodyguards of the corrupt Mizukage. I understand that much may be up to interpretation, but the more accurate you are, the more points you will receive. For this assignment you may not work together or collaborate, nor may you leave the palace except for field assignments. Any questions?"

Naruto raised his hand. "Where exactly are we at this point in the mission?"

Ebisu nodded. "Thank you, I almost forgot. You are six hundred meters from the village's edge, the palace of the Mizukage is in sight in the distance. Thus far you have only come across routine patrols, and it is quite safe to assume they did not see you." He checked his watch. "You may return to your rooms. I must go to a meeting."

Iruka raised his hand. "Do we have all necessary information?"

Ebisu nodded then left. Both chunin returned to their rooms. Each of them tore into their assignment right away. Naruto looked at each team member and each enemy dossier, strategizing attack and infiltration points while reading each map. Strategies like the one this assignment required he had never done before, and he doubted himself, but he would do his best. Iruka, however, knew something his former student did not. He knew the assignment had been drawn from one of sandaime-sama's mission records. This tidbit enabled him to pursue his answer from a different angle. He could now simplify his thinking by merely pondering what Sarutobi would do. He knew sandaime's dossier had been intentionally omitted to deceive them, but he had a way of making easy his answer.

The next four days slinked by rather slowly for Iruka. Confident in his ability to ponder his written assignment from Sarutobi's angle he completed his field exercises with almost no distraction. For Naruto, however, the days skyrocketed by almost at impossible speed. Even those in the field began to notice his mind beginning to be pulled away from their direction. The truth was that he simply did not know if his answer would be accurate enough to be acceptable. His not knowing the outcome began to wear on him. Two of the nights he did not sleep, staying up checking and rechecking, analyzing every possible outcome and rewriting his essay until it began to stiffen his hands. When the due date came he submitted his final draft for analysis.

* * *

News always spread rapidly through the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Very little of what happened wasn't at once fired around like a drug-hopped cannonball. So when news came of Lady Kyuubi having been kidnapped during a training exercise with three genin, it had struck as an unbelievable shock. Initially the question was why, but later it changed to how. None were more stumped than those affected most, Yondaime and Naruto. The chunin sat in the private chambers of the man he called father.

"Dad," Naruto practically demanded, "how in the hell could mom've been abducted?"

Yondaime wiped his eyes. He hadn't slept since. "Son, I…I don't know." He truly had no clue as to how such a powerful being as Kyuubi could possibly be kidnapped. "She's been trying to contact me telepathically but some demonic seals are in her prison chamber." He believed she'd been taken by Akatsuki.

"You HAVE to get her back! You just…"

Yondaime banged his fist. "SON! I KNOW!" He calmed down after the outburst. "I'm sorry, it's just that, I'm more worried about what they need her for than what they'll do to her." He hugged his son. "She can take care of herself, I'm just worried about what they'll use her for."

* * *

In a prison cell, specifically modified for demonic seals to prevent her escape, Kyuubi sat, tied to a steel chair by magically-altered rope. If she applied pressure it seared her flesh. She knew of only one purpose for her continued imprisonment; her power. They wanted it, and despite all of it, she could not free herself nor communicate with her family, nor even morph into demon form. Her shirt and skirt torn from where a lecherous guard attempted to rape her before a superior's verbal intervention, her bra and panties showing. The chamber stunk from four days of her not seeing the inside of a bathroom, and her red hair was matted from sweat. They had initially incapacitated her by using darts coated with perkork flower pollen, a plant grown only in hell. Furthremore, it only grew once in a thousand years. How Akatsuki acquired it mystified her.

A changing of the guard took place, with more than three sets of eyes watching to make sure nothing went awry. It was the perverted one's turn; she would make him pay so dearly when she escaped. "Just keep track, don't do anything…funny." The supervisor's instruction came to the chagrin of the guard, who sat in a chair apart from the one Kyuubi sat chained in. _I am going to enjoy killing you SO much,_ she thought.

* * *

Naruto returned to class with Iruka alongside him the sixth day still concerned more about his mother's uncertain fate than his classes. He knew her to be remarkably powerful; for her to be captured meant one of several things. None of them were any good. Concentrating on his work, which was damn near impossible to do, he awaited the results of his essay. Ebisu briefed them both.

"Iruka," he began, "you did excellently. Did you estimate that the mission came from sandaime-sama's mission records?" He received a nod. "Well, yes, your answer came remarkably close to what actually happened." He redirected his attention to Naruto. "Honorable Son, I gave you a slightly lower grade than Iruka due to the fact that your answer hit a few snags, but you still passed with a good grade. I must inform you that you can only proceed to stage two of your instruction after another three days of classroom exercises, whereas Iruka," he looked at the other chunin, "you are cleared to go on immediately. Anko will begin with you tomorrow. Dismissed." Iruka left the room. Naruto remained. "Honorable Son, I know you are confused about my decision."

"No, I…" he stammered, attempting to disguise the let down, "I understand that I need further instruciton or I may fail…"

Ebisu cut him off. "No, you misunderstand," he corrected. "I cleared Iruka because it is quite evident based on his results that he has nothing more to learn from me. There's quite a bit more I need to teach him if he ever wants to be jounin, but he doesn't seem to be learning it because he's a bit too weak-minded. Look at the essay, for exmaple. He outscored you, but didn't think of what he should've done, if _HE_ was on that mission."

Naruto seemed shocked. "You can't mean!"

Ebisu nodded, almost solemnly. "He's more likely to fail than you. I passed him to hasten the process of his examination. If he keeps performing at his present level, he'll waste time we could've spent on you."

"It's so cruel of you!"

"It's the ninja way. This team of jounin can't waste time on a useless weapon. YOU are the skilled one; he's even admitted it before."

* * *

Seemingly endless decades passed in the two additional days since Kyuubi's last cleaning. Akatsuki bigwigs tired of the smell and had her washed while still bound, then tied her back to the chair. A new guard came in. One that had been the most quiet of the bunch, now stood guard near her. For the past five hours she'd tried, in vain, to get a single utterance from him. "C'mon!" She continued yelling. "Gottan wanna talk about something!"

He glared at her, and resumed his resting.

"Tell me what you like to do. You ever ski?" He smiled smugly, sure of his silence. "Ever fish with rods?" He stood up.

"Been nice not talking to you," he gave in. "Now I'm gonna yell for a change of the guards.

"Ever participate in a homosexual orgy?"

He froze where he stood. She couldn't know, could she? If he ever got caught, Akatsuki would hand down a punishment of…

"If they found out, that you liked…the gentlemen callers…you'd be executed." He stared at her, a sneer on her face. No, he rationalized, she couldn't know, she was just…

"You're just trying…trying to threaten me!" His heart beat faster, betraying to her his lie. Three young men had been tortured and raped that night and he…

"We both know you," she reminded. "You killed them, reasoning that they were just dirty fags, not clean like you." Her trip into his mind revealed her silver bullet. "But why should they know?" He reached for his kunai. He had to silence the bitch, before she…

"Before I blab, you're going to kill me? Ha. What do you think your punishment will be for doing so?"

He squirmed; she was right. He had no choices that worked. Thus he knew of no possibilities.

"Or, perhaps, for a small fee, I could give you more young men to have fun with."

He lowered his eyebrows. "You lie."

She stared at him. "Do I? I a fox demoness. Magic is my specialty. Call those guards in and remove the seal on my chair. Don't worry; I'm still tied by magical rope."

He yanked the paper seal off the chair, and the anti-magic aura dissipated. "I…I'm ready for a changing of the guard," he shouted, loud enough to be heard. "Come on." A short pause came right before a bang on the door indicated that two of the seventeen Akatsuki were on hand to oversee the changing of the guard. The one in with her whispered to her, "I want those two. I want them completely submissive." She grinned.

"You got it, you kinky asshole."

The steel door slid open. Two powerfully-built operatives walked in. The very moment their eyes rested on Kyuubi, the fact that the piece of paper that created the anti-magic aura could not be seen presented a problem. Unfortunately for them, her eyes flashed red the moment they reached for their ninjato's. Their conscious will gave way to thoughts they never felt before. Suddenly one of them wrapped his arms around his comrade's neck, and began kissing him passionately. While his partner closed the door, the guard who had made the request began to undo the clothing of his lover. Behind them, the other guard had his mental orders. His hatred for them both festered and congealed.

In a motion so smooth it could scarcely be comprehensible, he unsheathed his weapon. During a lover's kiss he decapitated the two of them. By this point he concentrated on Kyuubi.

It felt good to be free of the ropes that burned her flesh. "Thank you," she offered. It was then that she repaid his kindness by tearing his throat out. **_; I am free at last, my husband and son, ;_** she psychically told them**_. ; I am free! ;_** She would, that evening, hold a feast for herself. The seventeen on-hand Akatsuki would be invited to be the main course. Her home in Konoha awaited.

Naruto was glad to hear of her break of luck. It allowed him to do well in the last three days of classroom training with Ebisu. Soon he'd be entering fight training; the second and longest stage.


	7. CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX – Present day, human world, Village of Konohagakure

(The page is slightly less yellow than the others, but still has a slight stain in the middle)

Anko enjoyed a lot, her sweet bean paste. It was the one food item she could put on virtually anything. Currently, she had it on several well-baked onion rolls. She'd never tried steamed onion rolls so it had been quite a treat for her. Especially since for three days she'd had to devote time to Iruka, who just didn't seem to catch details fast enough. As a result she looked forward to her lunch breaks. Still, she knew exactly how she'd handle the situation. She'd keep training Iruka, and if he showed no signs of visible improvement, she'd send a recommendation back to Yondaime to be granted authority to eject him from the program. It seemed somewhat obvious that he lacked only the open-mindedness to improve; had he accepted his problem and worked harder, he'd succeed.

Interrupting her from her meal concentration was Naruto, walking back to the training rooms after his final class session with Ebisu. She knew his secret: how he had been born into a legendary fox demon clan, but even by those standards he could be described merely as awesome. It made her shake her head in bewilderment at the thought of the youko; the oldest species of animal-type demon. The little blonde chunin would be in his prime well past the death of her great-great grandchildren, assuming she had children in her lifespan. Furthermore, strikes that would have her dead before she hit the ground would barely faze him. He could be impaled through the heart, blown up, crushed, even burned completely and still regenerate. His mother possessed such power that if she had been an enemy of the village instead of its Honorable Lady, the village probably would have been destroyed.

"Your class with me is in two hours," she informed him. "Make sure you're ready." He gave her the thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, Anko-sama, I'll be there!" He had been waiting for the meat and potatoes of his jounin training since about the middle of the first of the four units. He entered the training room that Iruka had been working out in. "Iruka-sensei," he uttered, "what's been troubling you? I don't think you've been performing up to your maximum level!"

Iruka looked away from the wooden dummy he was attacking, and saw the young student who had already surpassed him. "Naruto-san," he lamented, shaking his head. "I just don't understand what the problem is. I can't seem to improve enough. No matter what it just doesn't seem to be working."

Naruto looked around to divert his attention. He just couldn't understand it. What could be the cause of his former teacher's lack of improvement? "Aren't you working out every day?"

Iruka shot him a look. "That's the problem. I've been training with you _every day_ since the near end of the first unit. What is causing this problem? It makes no sense."

"Let's see how far you're coming along, sensei!" Naruto took up stance.

"Gotcha."

* * *

Two lovers strolled amidst the flowers in the fields outside Konoha. Kyuubi of the legendary Zaram youko line, and Arashi of the Uzumaki, took in the sights in between glances at each other as they celebrated another day being alive and being together. Kyuubi picked from the ground a lovely pink flower. "I'm so glad to be home," she cheered. "I missed you and Naruto."

The Yondaime pushed a bit of hair back from her face. Her powerful, yet elegant beauty had always been one thing about her that he could not bear to lose. He smiled as his blue eyes met her red irises, and he stroked the back of her neck. "Kyuubi, I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you or Naruto." He had stared down the most frighteningly potent shinobi to ever have lived, and had seen more battles than any resident of Konoha save for his lover, and yet his worst fear involved something less physically involving. The loss of either his wonderful son or his lady would easily kill him emotionally if not literally. Just the prospect of Kyuubi not being with him had plagued him so that he did not sleep the past group of days.

"Speaking of Naruto," Kyuubi brought up, "he's doing gracefully in his jounin exams, correct?"

Yondaime nodded. "I was surprised, and then, I remembered he's our son." Despite it not being worded for humor, the female fox demon found it quite funny.

"Arashi, why won't you give me a child?"

Yondaime almost leapt backwards; such a statement had come almost from nowhere. At least, in his mind it did. She had been concerned about such a topic for awhile. "K…Kyuubi, there's nothing I'd like more than to make love to you. But I am the Hokage. I have sworn to a set of rules that I must not break for any circumstances. One such is that my honor must be unflinching through times of peace or war. And as such I…"

"You can't have sexual relations with a woman that is the wife of another living man," she recited, having heard his spiel so many times. _You don't know it, Arashi, but this is one defining trait of an Uzumaki,_ she recalled. _No Uzumaki will ever do something they consider to be against their honor_. While it provided for a decent set of morals it made her feel bad.

Yondaime consoled her, rubbing the back of her head. "It is not because you aren't sexy. I see you and your wonderful curves and I want nothing more than to make sweet love to you. But as long as my ancestor Kenzo is alive I cannot."

She smiled and kissed him. "I know, Arashi, I know." Secretly she sighed; when would she ever get the chance to feel the passion again? Around him she had never felt a need to be anything other than who she always was. Other demons that she had been with required her to fit a certain style that they liked. Kenzo required her to be completely submissive and bow to his every whim. The Yondaime simply asked that she be herself, whatever it meant.

He lifted a red flower from the ground and slid it gingerly in between two folds of her hair. "I think this one fits well with you, Kyuubi," he explained caressing the back of her hair. "I love you so much."

She leaned in closer and rested her head on his left shoulder. "You bring a sense of love to me that I haven't felt in eight thousand years." She had experienced with Yondaime a feeling that she had only experienced once before, with her previous mate who was murdered by Kenzo. For so many eons she had wanted to be loved again. Even so, she desired to experience the passion of lovemaking once more.

* * *

Naruto stood in the dojo room of the building. Anko stood across from him for what would be a one-on-one situation. Iruka already had received his training for the day and prepared to do some private training in one of the rooms. He was determined to get to the bottom of his lack of improvement. The concern on Naruto's mind was exactly how much training he could get from the female jounin.

"Alright, Honorable Son," she said, dropping into a snake-style fighting stance. "Let us get a feel for how strong you are." Leaping in the air, she landed about a meter away from him. Almost at once he swung his foot for a deadly roundhouse kick and she had just a eyeblink's time of movement enough to get out of its way. The combat now fully initiated she decided to attack with a quick yet powerful blow that had been a staple of the snake style of fighting. He dodged one of her attacks only to be put in the path of another. Hastily he recognized that the particular style his opponent used prevented simple dodging.

A downward motion of his left forearm enabled him to brush one punch out of his way and synergistic with the block he spun around and drove his left foot via a standing side kick directly into her chest. Fortunately for her she craned herself backwards a bit to lessen the impact of it, but it had hit her very powerfully. A swing kick from his right leg almost caught her off guard and she had just enough time to bend backwards significantly enough to avoid it. On the return swing of her head she craned forward and ducked a left hook. While down she stuck a mild punch to his chest which allowed for a more powerful uppercut, finally she ended the combo with spinning side kick that hit him like a joust, throwing him onto his back. She did not relent for a moment, and hastily put her foot on his throat, applying pressure to force him to submit. When he did she lifted him to a standing position.

"You are quite powerful and skilled, Naruto," she acknowledged. "You know a lot about taijutsu. But still, I can teach you quite a bit. Let us work on one major aspect of your weakness."

"What weakness is that, Anko-sama?" His question came without a shred of ego; these were students she liked.

"Well, for one, I notice you put a lot of emphasis on speed. This is usually good but against a fighter using the snake style it becomes much less an advantage." She dropped into stance once more. "Use your blocking ability more so than you do and focus a little bit more on power."

He laughed silently at the irony as he dropped into Uzumaki-ryu stance. Her advice to him had been very near to the exact opposite advice he told Sasuke. He kicked off the combat the second time around, propelling a straight punch at her chest that she had just barely enough time to dodge. It had been an intentionally weak move, however, and she learned it quickly when he nailed her directly in the face with a violent roundhouse kick that threatened to throw her off her feet. She recovered and avoided a kick to the arm, coming back up from the dodge to deliver a similar kick to his right side. It caught him off guard but the impact had very little effect on him due to his power. He kicked her in the left ankle with the force of a mild tap, but she found out the hard way that it had been intended as a distraction. Pushing hard against the ground he bounded about a foot off the ground and violently whipped around to deliver a midair spinning side kick to her chest. Her eyes flew open wide. _Holy shit!_ she thought. _He's trying to finish me off!_

Summoning speed she didn't know she had, she moved just out of the way as his foot just gingerly grazed her right breast. Powerfully she delivered a roundhouse kick to his middle back while he was still in flight, which threw him face first into the wall. "That was excellent, Naruto! This is the progress I'd like to see from Iruka!"

He trained with her in the dojo for about five days of the two weeks of part two of the program, then out of acknowledgement of his skills and improvement she passed him onto part three. Iruka, however, would still have trouble.

* * *

**Wham**. The sound of flesh meeting the concrete floor face first reverberated. Umino Iruka picked himself up after having been rather humorously handed his defeat. The first time he avoided one attack only to be put directly in the path of another. The second time he made a complete reading error and failed to predict the next move of hers. "Iruka!" Anko yelled. "You need to focus!"

"Easy for you to say," he told her. "You're the one who keeps on winning!"

"Cut the shit, Iruka," she flat out ordered him. "I know you're better than this. I mean, you're a chunin, for chrissakes. Act like it and put up a better fight!" He wiped blood off his mouth and took up stance.

Naruto had just finished weapons training for the day with Hayate. He couldn't help but be amazed at the complexity of the weapons he took for granted, and all the different ways that they could be utilized. Not only did the jounin training help him hone his skills, it also broadened his mind. He had some free time so he decided to do his training with Iruka for the day.

"Iruka-sensei?" the blonde chunin asked, entering the training room. "You wanna do some training with me?"

Iruka waved him in. "Yeah, sure."

The combat began, the teacher and former student sparring against one another. A kick from one was dodged or blocked by another, a punch from one was avoided by the other, the trade of blows went both ways until both fighters stood apart from each other, having learned a little bit about the other's fighting style. Naruto, in particular, had learned something very important about his opponent and friend.

"Iruka-sensei," he told him, "I think I've got down the cause of your lack of improvement."

The academy instructor looked at him quite skeptically. "You do?"

The blonde chunin nodded. "Yeah. You seem to be fighting with too much in mind. You don't focus enough. You seem to be thinking about every possible outcome to the combat, or at least you're thinking too much about what could happen. Quit thinking about your opponent's moves and stop thinking so much of the future and concentrate on what's at hand first."

"That's…thank you. I appreciate it." Iruka's lack of words came from his inability to mask his sense of ironic stupidity. Such was basic advice and he couldn't see it, and here stood a student that he had taught the ways of being a ninja to, and he already picked it up. Naruto's sharing of wisdom struck him as amazing.

"Furthermore," the blonde said, "I notice that when you attack, you don't seem to properly be reading your opponent's moves. You need to read more quickly and less calculatingly. Calculating your enemy's position will take too long and might get you killed. Think in terms of human psyche and less in terms of method."

It came at precisely the same class time the next day that Iruka decided to implement his student's advice on combat. He found out quickly that, when thinking less about the proper technique of fighting when calculating his enemy's position, it became much easier to predict accurately where Anko would be at any given moment. The first combat against her he lost, although less quickly than the previous day. The second one, he fought her to a draw. She complimented him; his progress did not come as quickly as Naruto's did, but still, improvement was improvement.

Weapons training seemed bizarrely more difficult than either of the first two units of the jounin training for Naruto. He excelled at strategizing, and ruled at fighting, but when it came to weapons, he found it incredible that there was so much to learn about the weapons themselves in addition to how many different uses they had in the moment of combat. It took most of his cognitive ability just to memorize each of the different fact sets about weapons. He eagerly awaited the class that Hayate would give him instruction on proper use of ninja-to.

Walking into the classroom the fifteenth day of the second month of the training, he saw a series of weapons laid on the table in front of Hayate. "Naruto," the sickly jounin ordered, "write down on the sheets of paper beneath each weapon what it is, what the primary function is, and what the secondary function is. This'll be the last of the classroom sessions before you learn the proper way of using a ninja-to katana." Naruto did as instructed. It took him quite a bit of time to remember all the information that he memorized, but in the end he had each of the names and functions where they needed to be. Hayate read each sheet and gave a nod of approval. "Come with me."

Naruto followed the jounin out into the field, where two swords sat leaned against a tree. "So, are we going to practice with swords now?"

Hayate nodded. "Yes, Naruto, we shall begin the ninja-to unit. I know you've been dying to get here." They each picked a weapon and drew it.

"This is my favorite part!" Naruto cheerfully drew his blade.

(A/N: So the sixth chapter ends! I hope to have the jounin training arc of the story done within two chapters from here)


	8. CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN – Present day, human world, Village of Konohagakure

(The page is stain free, merely dusty and slightly ragged on one edge)

Naruto stood in one of several standard shinobi sword fighting stances. His focused eyes seemed to correlate with the rest of his driven expression. He merely awaited for a signal, whether verbal or gestural, that started the combat. Hayate, his nerves tempered by decades of specializing in swordsmanship, stood in a stance that he knew to be a superior starting stance than his younger opponent's. Neither devoted any attention to anything except for their opponent, and the moves they believed their opponent would utilize. The slightly sickly looking ninja predicted that his foe would make use of an opening move graceful, yet still inexperienced.

He found himself slightly impressed. The blonde shinobi ducked beneath a mid-section horizontal slash, and came up with his blade aimed at the apex of the neck where the head ended. Hayate, in an almost inhuman display of flexibility, bent his torso nearly impossibly back to avoid the slash, and in a proportionately unbelievable utilization of speed, spun around with sword drawn, stopping just an inch or so short of the back of Naruto's neck. Tapping flesh with the blunt face of the steel, the first bout officially came to an end.

"Wow," Hayate expelled, in between gasps for air. The precise movements and use of agility and range of motion required by proper swordplay, wore one out quickly. He wasn't panting too hard, but it had drawn energy out of him. "For a relatively young chunin you are damn good with a sword. I still have a lot to teach you, though, as you saw from how quickly I brought this combat to a close." A sword battle in the shinobi world always differed slightly from a samurai swordfight. Because samurai only utilized swords, and their rules of engagement limited them to attacking with blades, they could devote all their energy to the blade itself. A shinobi, on the other hand, never had the limitation of sword only combat; the honor system that all samurai seemed to follow did not exist in the ninja battle. A ninja could do absolutely anything if it meant winning combat effectively, including use of other weapons, and taijutsu combat even. As a direct result, shinobi very seldom devoted all their energy to the blade, and had to devote attention to the surroundings.

"You are absolutely incredible, Hayate-sama!" Naruto tested out a variety of sword stances. "Which style will we use next?"

Hayate could scarcely contain his amazement. _You mean he was using his own style! _The blonde chunin had his own sword style that belonged to the Uzumaki clan. One reason that Hayate had a bit more trouble than he otherwise would've was due to the fact that he couldn't expertly predict ahead of time what moves were coming next. "Well, how about snake style?"

Naruto bowed, accepting the new combat rules, and drew backward into a typical snake stance. Being a chunin, he knew that his opponent chose snake style for a reason, and the reason likely was that it was Hayate's best style or favorite style. Extra care would have to be taken. Naruto preferred freestyle, which had been the previous combat.

When Hayate kicked off battle, it went remarkably quick in the jounin's favor. Two separate slashes on Naruto's part, a block on Hayate's, and three dodges on Naruto's part, and the blonde shinobi attacked downward with a diagonal slash stopping short of the jounin's left leg. "That was good, Naruto, but if you'll notice my blade placement. In a real combat situation I'd have cut off your head. Try again."

Naruto and Hayate engaged each other several times in the next couple hours. The results could only be described as predictable: the jounin won each combat. What he noticed, though, was that Naruto seemed to improve slightly with each coming confrontation. The rumors and reports he'd heard all held true; the boy had exceptional talent in the field of combat.

* * *

The mood inside the fourth meeting room in the Hokage's palace had been somewhat tense. Yondaime had a very important discussion with several important delegates from the Land of the Waves. Kyuubi sat immediately to the right of the Hokage, and provided moral support if necessary. The governor of the Land of the Waves had several issues on his mind, and many of them had to do with the situation that had occurred with Tazuna.

"Hokage-sama," the governor explained. "I'm sure you've recently heard about my decision."

Yondaime gathered his thoughts. "I know of your decision. Are you absolutely sure? I mean, if you make this decision, there's no turning back. You'll notice your populace change dramatically in just a handful of years."

The governor understood. "I stand by my decision completely. I've sent my letter to the government and filled out all the necessary paperwork," he uttered. "In a month we'll be receiving our charter from parliament; we'll officially be a shinobi nation." He sat a piece of paper in front of Yondaime. "And I wanted to sign a treaty with your country."

Yondaime cleared his throat and looked into the eyes of the governor. "What terms were you planning on imposing on this treaty?" He knew that a new village forming would cause a shift in the power balance, even if a small one. It meant he would have to work quickly if he was to achieve a friendly fellow nation.

"We want seven jounin to train a select number of candidates who already have some basic grasp of ninja arts, and approximately twenty ANBU operatives who can create for us an organized defense force." Yondaime scratched his head in response to hearing the terms requested. So far, nothing really demanding had been asked. "You see, Hokage-sama, when we become Namigakure—the Village Hidden in the Waves—we want to be off to a good start."

"Well, Governor, it sounds like you don't make any extreme demands," Yondaime began. "I see no reason to deny you any…"

The governor cut him off. "You haven't heard all of my requests," he explained. "We have one more, and this one is possibly the most important."

"Go on."

"Well, two years from now we want to host a chunin exam. At that time, we want your son to be one of our elite ninja."

Yondaime almost choked on the water he was drinking. Coughing until he cleared the liquid from his windpipe, he shook his head, wiped his eyes and composed himself. "Um, Governor, can't you pick from a more qualified shinobi to train your people than my son Naruto? He's not even a jounin yet."

"He's in training, is he not? And his performance in the Tazuna matter was exceptional. We will not budge on this issue."

_Well fuck. Isn't this a bitch?_ Yondaime had no idea what to do. Kyuubi, despite her best efforts to prevent displaying such manner, felt much more concern than her husband. The matter of importance could not be overlooked. As the Hokage, he had to make a decision. On one hand, he could keep his family perfectly safe and together without any separation whatsoever, and on the other hand he could potentially risk losing a friendly village. He knew very well that many could die if the man sitting across the table from him presented a similar treaty of alliance to a village known for being unfriendly.

"Yondaime-sama," the governor reminded, "we need an answer now."

Yondaime knew what he had to do. He had no reason to believe his son was being sent into any sort of bad environment, and he could not risk losing a newly-forming shinobi village to his personal beliefs. "I….alright." He composed himself into a full Hokage manner. "Governor, we will sign your treaty." Kyuubi wanted to protest but knew she could not. In matters of politics she dared not interfere.

* * *

CLANG! Metal hit metal as two shinobi stared each other down on opposing ends of steel katanas. The jounin, in between various slashes, parries, and thrusts, analyzed perfectly his opponent's attack style. He had seldom seen such a skilled opponent as Naruto. From genin to jounin training he spent every day amazing everyone who ever trained him. Such a reputation the blonde ninja lived up to quite well.

Naruto found himself carefully maneuvered into a trap in which Hayate tripped him and ended the confrontation with a sword to the throat. "You're dead, Naruto," the sickly jounin firmly stated, in between coughs. "But I'm impressed at your ability to predict. You avoided three other traps before falling for this one." The blonde ninja grinned as he stood up.

"You're not so bad yourself," he joked. His opponent had a simply immense amount of skill. Yondaime did not kid when he spoke of Hayate as the most skilled shinobi in the village when you put a weapon in his hand. Still, he kept analyzing the various stances and styles that the sickly jounin utilized in combat. Naruto slid to the right a bit, falling downward into a predictable stance. He had a special surprise for Gekkou this time.

The combat kicked off with Hayate parrying a slash from Naruto, then spinning and making a vicious attempt at his young student's neck. Naruto ducked and blocked at the same time, making use of his speed to pull his sword away. He poked Hayate in the lower left leg, and spun around to stop with his sword an inch from the back of his foe's neck. When the jounin vanished in a puff of smoke it only confirmed what Naruto believed; this was another lesson.

The real Hayate materialized instantly, jousting for his young opponent's back. In a startling display of situation analysis, Naruto grabbed the blade with his left hand and pushed it aside, whirling and placing the sharp end of his sword a millimeter from his superior's neck. Hayate was amazed. "Naruto, I am amazed at how fast you're progressing. Just a few days ago when we started the ninja-to unit, you were somewhat decent at the blade. Now you're progressing at a rate I couldn't have imagined."

A few days passed and inevitably, the blonde chunin mastered the blade. Hayate had taught him just about everything he knew about weaponry, and the boy startled him. It was a good thing that he could now pass the boy onto the next unit, because Iruka would require a significant more amount of blade time than the younger chunin. He would likely know a lot about the other weapons, though.

Naruto soon found himself in the room of Morino Ibiki. Interrogation training. One of the last two units in the lengthy jounin training that he would receive. He sat down across from the man himself. "Alright, Naruto, it's about time we get started."

(A/N: I'm sorry about the shortness but I really wanted to get SOMETHING up.)


	9. CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT – Present day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(There is a layer of dust on the page, but no stains)

(A/N: This chapter has a bloody scene filled with gore. Be forewarned.)

Naruto passed through Ibiki's interrogation unit, not without having to learn a lot more than he'd thought he'd have to. As good as he was at the other aspects of being a shinobi he knew surprisingly little about a good questioning. So while Iruka managed to go through the unit rather quickly, Naruto found himself having to relearn several concepts he thought he had down pat. But with that behind him, it was time for the final unit of the jounin test, and it happened to be one that he had been looking forward to almost as much as the swords unit. He would be sent out on missions for the final two weeks of training with genin and he would have to properly demonstrate his worth as a leader.

Five ANBU operatives accompanied him while he walked to the field where he'd meet his team for the first time. "Honorable Son," the most powerful looking of the bunch entered, "if I may, I'd like to get a basic grasp of your planned schedule for training." His and his fellow ANBU's presence would be backup in case anything went wrong, because with a less than jounin instructor, even one as skilled as Naruto, extra precautions had to be taken.

"Uh, I'm going to train them the first week and get to the missions the second," he explained. "After all, I want to make sure that my students are as skilled as possible before they go out into the world." His response came in the form of a nod from the ANBU ninja.

"Understood, Honorable Son," he replied.

The venture took roughly five minutes to the place within the woods that he had been scheduled to meet his crew. This was the final unit and he definitely did not want to screw it up by being late. He entered the clearing within the woods as the sound of the wind through the trees provided a soothing setting in which to concentrate and train more acutely. He looked around and saw, sure enough, three childish-looking brats that obviously were fresh from the academy, and couldn't possibly be older than eleven. Of the three, there stood one who clearly held firm in the minds of the other two as the team leader. A stocky but not disproportionate, proud-featured kunoichi with dark blue hair drawn into a long ponytail behind her head and three clumps hanging over her right eye, grandly stood erect in front of her two male teammates. For her age she looked quite confident in herself, bearing a look of incredulousness that her teacher for her missions would be a kid not much older than herself. She had a face that, if it slightly more vertically oval, would look rather creepy, with eyes that looked like they belonged on the devil. Of the two boys, the more mature-looking of the two stood with folded arms. This was a bore for him, he graduated top of his class and did not realize how much he still had to learn. He, unlike the slightly pudgy kunoichi he stood behind, seemed devoid of any fat whatsoever. His almost gaunt face had features high up in appearance. His hair, a defiant brown. The final teammate, a boy with hair blacker than the night sky, seemed physically, the most average of the bunch. Not too skinny or fat, without very abnormal features, he seemed quite in the middle in appearance. His face bore a smile and a pair of eyes blazing with the fire of life, a sense of "suck in every day you can" that looked as though inextinguishable. Naruto grinned to himself; this team would be his first and likely, his favorite.

"Hello, genin, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I..." he began. Unfortunately he would not be afforded the chance to finish.

"You?" The kunoichi scoffed at the prospect of learning from a child, and let loose a guffaw that made both teammates, and all five ANBU stare at her in disbelief. "You aren't but six years older than us! What the hell are we to learn from you?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. Okay, he figured; off to a rocky start. "As I was saying before you SO RUDELY INTERRUPTED ME," he said, shouting for effect on certain words, "I am a jounin-in-training and I have been appointed to be your instructor..."

The kunoichi scoffed again. "Oh GREAT! We don't even get a full-fledged JOUNIN! We get some damn wannabe in training!"

"PLEASE quit interrupting me," Naruto barked, growing progressively angrier with each interruption. "For the next two weeks..."

"Two WEEKS?"

"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

His outburst caused all three to cringe. He waited a moment for another word from the kunoichi. None came. Smiling he continued. "I will be your instructor for the next two weeks. You will learn many things about chakra usage from me, as well as the art of fighting. First, I'd like to hear your names and we can then get off to a good start. You first, little girl."

The girl folded her arms and scowled. "My name's Yomiko. Komojirai Yomiko." She pointed a finger directly at him. "And if you _EVER _tell me to shut up again, I'll beat your FUCKING ASS!"

Naruto adjusted his shirt and continued. "Thank you, Yomiko. Although if there'll be ANY CURSING it'll be from me. GOT THAT?" _Holy crap, Iruka warned me she had a problem with authority_, he thought. "You next, boy."

The overly-slender prodigy looked up. "I'm Matsukita Satoshi, and if I may ask, Naruto-sensei, what's our first objective?"

"After your third teammate introduces himself I'll say. You?"

With a cheerful grin the third one raised a clenched fist and shouted, "Hoohaaa! I'm Higurashi Otowano!"

His female teammate looked at him with a exasperated feeling, signified by the raised right eyebrow. "_Hoohaaa_?"

Otowano looked at her. "Everyone's gotta have a catch phrase. You know, so that years later people remember you by it? Isn't that right sensei? Hoohaaa!"

Naruto nodded; this boy's cheerfulness and fullness of life reminded him of himself. "Yeah, everyone has to have a catch phrase. Believe it!"

The dark haired Satoshi smacked his face. _Oh, lord. 'Believe it!' is even worse than 'Hoohaaa!'_

"Now then," Naruto began, "our first lesson will be simple. Directing chakra to all points of your body." He heard a collective groan. "I know you've done this God knows how many times in the academy, you had to to pass, but I wanna see you do it." They, he saw, at least knew how to control their chakra. All of them directed the chakra to the corners of their body effectively but none so much so as Satoshi, as to be expected based on his grades. Otowano, it seemed, had the most chakra of the bunch to move around, and Yomiko had the fastest use of her chakra. He saw immediately the intrinsic differences between the three.

"Our first lesson will likely take the first two days or so," he explained. "You will be learning a technique that, quite frankly, everyone considers above your capacity to do. You will climb trees...without using your hands." The prospect bewildered the team. "Let me explain it to you visually." Naruto took a few steps up the side of a tree, and stood in place partially up. "You have to clear your mind and sense the chakra output of the tree, and match that in your feet. Miss the exact amount-even slightly-it will fail miserably, and you could fall."

"How is it we were never told of this before?"

"Good question, Satoshi," the blonde chuunin interjected. "The answer is very simple: the goal of the academy was to make you a ninja. They were not to teach you how to be an _expert_ ninja, just the basics you needed to function as a ninja. It is our job as field jounin to do the final sculpting of you into the ninja you need to be. Begin!"

Closing their eyes, each member cleared their mind, and moved chakra to their feet. Satoshi took a running start, clung to the tree, made it about two steps up and fell. Yomiko got halfway up to the first branch before plummeting. Otowano made it a step higher than Satoshi and missed a step. Naruto folded his arms; a predictable first attempt. "Alright, I expected that. Now keep trying until you use up your chakra." He sat Indian style and watched as his students kept trying. Although none of them made it to the top of the tree, Satoshi made the most progress. The other two were comparable to him in terms of success. "Alright, you guys did good your first day. Go home and get some sleep, and tomorrow we'll try again." The next day they met, and the result once more as Naruto had predicted, a good (but not extreme) amount of improvement for all three, except one thing went against the grain of his thought; Otowano, this time, was the one who made the most significant improvement. The third day all three mastered the tree exercise.

On the fourth day of the first week, the three huddled in front of their group leader, still less than enthusiastic about being taught by a trainee. "You guys mastered the tree exercise a year ahead of many of your fellow genin would. I am impressed indeed," Naruto congratulated them. Otowano gave a proud "hoohaaa!" He immediately went on to the next issue. "Now, I propose an exercise which will help you work on your teamwork skills, which are vitally important if you are to become an effective ninja. I will go stand behind this tree," he pointed to an unruly piece of lumber towering above them, "and read. Meanwhile, you three will come up with a team strategy to complete your task."

Satoshi raised his hand. "What is our objective, Naruto-sensei?" _Not that I can't do it, jounin wanna be,_ he thought.

"Your team objective...is to hit me."

Three eyebrows raised in confusion.

"You heard right. Your goal is for one of you to land a blow on me that isn't blocked. It sounds easy, but believe me, I have tangled with other jounin who train your friends and classmates; it isn't easy to hit someone like me. You have until I finish this chapter." He then strolled beyond talking range, and leaned against the tree. He pulled from his pocket _The Legendary Tales of Shodai,_ written by his father and the third Hokage roughly ten years ago. Engrossing himself in the tales of the first hokage's ventures, he could not pick up what they were saying. After finishing the chapter he started, he calmly began walking towards his group from behind the tree. Yomiko stood very innocently and calmly in the center of the clearing, ten feet away from him. He utilized his demonic senses; their strategy likely involved using her as a lure while they attacked from behind, which held the most logical weight as a potential plan.

Sure enough, Satoshi came flying in at a forty-five degree angle from a high tree, his trajectory directly behind Naruto. Throwing his left foot out like a joust he made it to within an inch of his sensei's head before the young fox demon spun around, grabbing the foot tightly in his right hand and flinging the hapless dark-haired genin violently to his right. He sensed a chakra presence-Yomiko's-materialize immediately behind him and spin a low roundhouse kick at his stomach. His gut instincts told him to move rather than block, and it paid off immensely when he reappeared behind the kunoichi, and found himself in the right spot to grab the right fist of Otowano, who had attempted a medium flying punch. As the kunoichi whirled to deliver a super kick to the chest of her sensei, Naruto flung Otowano _into_ her, knocking them both down and allowing him to have enough of a moment to throw his arms upward into the path of a flying kick from Satoshi aimed directly at his face. Instantly after blocking the attack he delivered a counterclockwise roundhouse kick which blasted the dark-haired genin backwards onto his back.

"EXCELLENT improvisation!" Naruto cheered, rapping his fist in midair. "I see that when I foiled your plan to have Yomiko lure me into prime position, you immediately thought of each other's attacks and worked accordingly. The only criticism I have is that you were a mite predictable." _Damn they were fast! A slower ninja would have been nailed for sure!_ He doubted that any ninja of only slightly less skill than him would be done in by their plan, but then again, their plan was just to hit him, not to kill. Still, for genin their age they were talented.

"See guys? Naruto-sensei says we're good!" Otowano cried loudly, raising a fist. "Hoohaaa!" Satoshi and Yomiko, however, still held a bit of a grudge against their sensei for not being older. Naruto sensed the hostility, but ignored it; at least they were respectful and willing to listen. He did not have the job of making them love him, he had the job of molding them into expert killers.

Satoshi looked at his awestruck teammate. _Idiot idolizes this jounin wannabe,_ he knew. _Our sensei is good. I'm sure he's one of the best. But why in the hell is he almost our age and still so much better? Are we that sucky!_ He wiped his brow. _I can't believe he was fast enough to outdo my plan._ The strategy had been his best. For it to fail confused and angered him.

"You know the drill. I stand behind the tree, you plan. We're doing this again." Naruto went behind the tree and read another chapter, and came back out.

Stepping towards the area from the tree he saw no one. He sensed a chakra signature up in the tree, but looked up and saw an animal. Yomiko came running up behind him and swung her fist at him, he jumped to his northeast to dodge. When he landed at a certain point Satoshi leaped in from behind a bush and kicked at Naruto, almost hitting. The blonde chuunin did a forward flip leap to avoid it, landing on his feet a foot or two ahead. Yomiko appeared in front of him and kicked at his knees; he spread his legs apart slightly to dodge, and then both her and Satoshi swung blows at his arms, he extended them at his sides as a quick dodge. _What the hell is their plan?_ he wondered.

"NOW!" Naruto looked up to see who yelled, and Otowano drove a blood covered right hand into the dirt. When he did, vines grew rapidly out of the ground and two trees parallel to Naruto, grabbing each of the blonde's limbs. "BLOOD VINE NO JUTSU!" The chuunin could not be more amazed; from whom did the genin learn how to create blood vines, plants whose growth could be controlled by blood and chakra? From that it couldn't be simpler: Yomiko clenched a fist and drove it into her sensei's gut, the force ripping him free of the vines and throwing him backward a couple inches.

"You guys did it!" he said to them. "But tell me, Otowano, who taught you the blood vine technique?"

Otowano beamed. "My mom taught me, I just never thought it'd amount to anything!"

Yomiko rolled her eyes. "If you'd have told us before, you moron, we could've avoided the first screw up!"

Naruto gave them the thumbs up. "You guys passed my first two tests, and we still have most of the week left!"

Otowano drove his fist in the air. "Hoohaaa!"

Yomiko smacked him. "Enough with the damned 'Hoohaa'!"

"Aw, Yomiko, let him be. He's a spirited kid." Naruto winked at his idolizing student, and whispered, "believe it!" He cleared his throat. "Meet at the village gates tomorrow. Since you guys passed ahead of what I expected you to, we'll get our first mission."

The next morning, Naruto met his crew at the village gate, with their mission: guarding a traveling village councilman home to his village. He had been the target of robbers lately and requested ninja backup, he had told them. The crisp morning air made the group of four and one civilian feel better, as the wind rustled the trees. The large gates opened allowing them into the outside world. With the genin and Naruto keeping a constant state of suspicious alertness for would be attackers, the group felt safer. The first hour of walking seemed completely uneventful, with only the scenery changing. Keeping his senses tuned to the councilman, Satoshi glanced a mere moment at Otowano. _He pulled off a hell of a good plan,_ the dark-haired genin thought. _I'm really impressed. _He squinted as he thought more about it. _But that means he'll be a more even match for me and I'll have to work harder to surpass him now._ He grinned. _Don't worry, Otowano, one day I'll be strong enough to kick your ass._ Otowano had a smile on his face that amazed Yomiko. She thought of her teammate.

_How do you do it, Otowano?_ she wondered. _How do you always smile? What makes you so cheerful all the time?_ She just couldn't understand; she never saw him sad or frowning. Otowano sensed that his teammates were focusing on him, even if only for a moment, and he looked at them. "Guys? Is something up?" Neither one said a thing, and he turned back to looking forward.

After passing the halfway point, the bushes rustled. "KEEP GUARD!" Naruto shouted, and his genin took stance around the councilman. The noises stopped, and Naruto looked around; perhaps it had been merely a group of animals. That is, until he felt something sharp touch his neck. _What the hell...?_ he thought as he turned around and saw a thorn sticking out of the bush. Turning back around immediately he saw the councilman and his team gone. Suppressing nervousness he cleared his mind and sensed four chakra signatures moving rapidly; they had been abducted by someone. But they were not moving very fast, and he knew he could catch up with them.

"You won't be going anywhere, Konoha shinobi," a voice cried out. A poof of smoke later and a jounin appeared in front of Naruto. A brown-haired lanky man, his headband was that of Sand Village. Naruto recognized him as a missing-nin, because Konoha and Sand Village had signed a treaty. This man was part of a plan to abduct his team, he believed. The blonde chuunin pushed aside a right handed punch and drove a kunai deep into the man's gut. Unfortunately, the man utilized a replacement jutsu. Appearing behind Naruto, he swung a roundhouse kick that was ducked beneath.

Naruto swung a roundhouse kick of his own but found it rapidly blocked. Instead of attacking-an action to which the fox demon would have moved quickly out of the way and retaliated-the missing nin threw sand in his eyes, which took dramatically less time than attacking. "Arrrgghh!" Naruto rapidly began trying to wipe away the sand, but by the time he got his sight back the man and the other enemies were long gone. He cursed loudly as the ANBU showed up. Why they had been so late was beyond him.

"Honorable Son!" one said. "We must go back and gather more shinobi! Warn the village of an abduction!"

"NO!"

"Honorable Son, what are you saying!"

Naruto clenched his teeth. "Their goal was not to kill us, or they'd have done so, and the jounin would have tried to kill me. Their specific goal was kidnapping; I believe they are anarchists trying to start a war."

"How do you know they're not from the Sand Village trying to add to their ranks with our genin?"

Naruto shook his head. "Too much work. It'd be much easier to just kill them on the spot and try to kill me. These were anarchists. If you go back and tell my father, you'll be doing their work for them. Trust me."

"What will you do?"

"Follow me, but not close enough to be seen. I'm going to get them back myself."

"How do you know they won't kill them before you get there?"

Naruto clenched his teeth; he didn't. But he couldn't possibly say that to an ANBU. "Because," he lied, "they'll wait for someone to spot them to spread the word. Anarchists work through others seeing their message and spreading it. A victim killed in plain sight of someone else has more effect than presenting a dead body to the target audience." The answer satisfied the ANBU and they left, Naruto leading the pack.

* * *

The inside of a dimly-lit central room saw Yomiko and her teammates tied to metal folding chairs. They were watched closely by four separate ninja guards. The jounin Naruto had fought with earlier sat in a chair in front of them. "Your sensei is going to tell his people you were taken, along with the 'councilman,' who played his part so well, and your village will start a war with Sand Village." He snapped his fingers. The fake councilman approached. 

"This'll work out so well, Kazuya," he said.

"I know," Kazuya said to him. Immediately, he shoved his hand into the chest cavity of the fake councilman. The man fell dead in a matter of seconds. A beating heart the jounin threw on the ground. "This blood will not even compare to what the two villages spill when war breaks out," he said, laughing as he wiped his hand on each genin's face. Otowano looked at the fake councilman, dead on the ground.

"You betrayed your own man! How _COULD_ you be so heartless!" he cried, frightened out of his wits.

The jounin laughed. "Ninja life is like that," he flatly stated. "You don't like killing? Be a lawyer."

Satoshi shivered in terror as he looked at the happenings. Yomiko as well, felt unable to move out of fear. _I know I hated him, but God, please let Naruto-sensei save us!_ The dark haired genin prayed silently. A few nervous hours passed without any change in situation.

* * *

Six shinobi patrolled the basement of the partially ruined fortress that had been built by settlers centuries ago. A pair of hands silently eased out of a dark hallway and snatched a ninja by his neck, silencing him with a single snap. All of the remaining five turned around. One found himself impaled, the others defeated quickly by ANBU. The whole matter had been amazingly quiet. The invading force crept up the stairs, killing a few bodyguards here and there. It amazed Naruto how a bunch of anarchists trying to start a war could have such pitiful forces; in all, the leader of this bunch had seventeen chuunin level ninja guards. Not many of them even gave Naruto and the ANBUs a good fight. 

_Alright,_ Naruto telepathically told his ANBU guards, _we're nearing the main room. _

Kazuya told one of his guards to check his men. When he opened the door, a gust of wind passed through the room. Four heads hit the ground, they all belonged to the jounin's ninja guards. When he snatched his blade and went for the genin, he immediately found himself encircled by Naruto and the ANBU. _Oh, shit._ "You may kill me, but my fellow villagers will not stand for this! You can expect a war!"

"Cut the bullshit," Naruto commanded. "We know damn good and well you're not representing the Village Hidden in Sand."

Kazuya had been caught, but he did not betray his shock. "What're you talking about? You're starting a war by killing me!"

Naruto knew otherwise. "If you were from the village, you'd have killed the children already. And furthermore, you're not even in Sand Village territory. Strikes one and two. Also, you hired chuunin that were pathetic. Strike three. Any sand villager would have jounin, even for killing children." Foiled, Kazuya tried leaping out of the window, but got six blades through his torso before making it halfway there.

The genin, free of their restraints, grabbed hold of Naruto's legs. "Thank you for rescuing us!" Satoshi cried. "I swear I love you man!"

Naruto chuckled. "Oh, so no more 'I hate Mr. Jounin wannabe?'"

Satoshi and Yomiko both shook their heads. "No! You're definitely a jounin, Naruto-sensei!" she yelled.

"Yeah, I know I'll be. As soon as we get home."

The trio left the adventure behind. _Dammit,_ Naruto thought. _I wanted a mission that was real, so I could teach them more. Oh well, at least their safe. Now, I hope dad doesn't utterly kill me for this._

"Naruto-sensei saved us!" Otowano raised a fist. "Hoohaaa!"

Satoshi smiled and raised a fist in mimicry of his teammate. "Believe it!"


	10. CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE – Present Day, Human World, Village of Konohagakure

(This page is held to the previous one by tape, as the upper half of the page has slipped out of the spine)

Two shinobi sat adjacent to each other in a brightly-lit office-type setting. Two chairs positioned immediately across from and parallel to a large table built into the floor, behind which four high-ranking Konoha officials sat with Jiraiya and the Director of Staffing and Coordinating in the middle. Several file folders with official records in them were in the possession of all four members of the judging committee. Each had a glass of water, and Jiraiya drank his and began to speak; "Umino Iruka, the issue at hand is the deciding whether or not to promote you in rank. According to the proctors who examined you in the training period, you performed below average in the first group of tests, and excelled in the latter ones. Based on what the ANBU protecting your group during the field mission, I'd say it went rather smoothly and your teaching styles were effective. Please stand." Iruka complied. "Umino Iruka, this council hereby raises you in rank to Class 2 Specialist-Type Jounin, and awards you a field commission of level 3."

Iruka bowed. "Thank you, very much sir!" When the nod came, he left the room his head lifted in pride. What he had become very few accomplished; you could train fifty years in the most vicious ways imaginable and never exceed level 2 for a field commission, which signified what type of work you were expected to do in the midst of battle. Level ones always had the misfortune of being grunts, doing the labor of weakening the enemies numbers while in groups of other jounin, and often got implemented as human shields. Level two's often got the henchmen of the main targets and rarely, the targets themselves, and were most often used only as backup or policing. But the highly-respected and idolized level threes got the leadership positions in groups and assassinated main targets. They also were paid higher than any other rank. To go higher than level three you had to be higher than a class two jounin.

Jiraiya turned to Yondaime's adopted child. "Uzumaki Naruto, Honorable Son of the Fourth Hokage, the issue at hand is the same as with Iruka, deciding your rank." he cleared his throat as a way of stalling. "You...have an interesting report. You have displayed nothing short of exceptional talent, unprecedented skill, and most of all, wisdom and a keenness of sense. Your proctors gave you nothing short of the best reports imaginable, and you were recommended with unequaled regard. The...incident...involving you and your team would normally be grounds for suspension from the ninja ranks, but your quick thinking, and proper answer to a situation that would confuse others makes up for it in a way. Your genin vouch for you, saying you were a wonderful sensei they wish to continue training under. Please stand." Naruto complied.

"Uzumaki Naruto, taking into account the negative outcome of your team being kidnapped, and the positive response, as well as the extenuating circumstances reported by the ANBU, this council hereby raises you in rank to a Class 1 Sensei-Type Jounin, and awards you a field commission of level 2."

Naruto clenched a fist in pride. "I thank you, Jiraiya-sama!" He exited the chamber, dancing as he walked. Due to the cock-up that was his team being abducted, he didn't honestly expect to be passed. However, to be awarded the rank of Jounin (of any classification) and a field commission as high as two was amazing to him.

Starting off down the halls he met a short time after the office with the Chief Examination Officer, who had the unique task of supervising the chuunin and jounin exams. Naruto had met with him before, but this time he looked significantly more focused. The blonde jounin made eye contact and smiled, waving. "Akira-san! You ready for this year's chuunin exam?" He expected and received the typical answer from the Class 3 Officer-Type Jounin.

"Yeah, Naruto-san," he admitted, "but I've been slacking off lately. I guess I just am not as driven this year as I should be."

Naruto squinted. "Akira-san? That isn't like you!"

The older jounin chuckled and patted his younger comrade on the shoulder. "Ah, I'm just fucking with you. Of course, I'm fully prepared. And I can't wait to see how this year's cream of the crop perform against the other villages!"

Naruto playfully tapped his older jounin in the chest. "I remember meeting with you exactly one week before the first chuunin exam I took. What is it you told me? Oh, 'Watch out. At your age you're one of the youngest here. You'll likely get bullied.' Well, I think that's what drove me so hard to pass. So maybe you're getting a bit old to keep doing this."

"Old?" Akira laughed. "If _I'm_ getting old for my job then Jiraiya should have retired twenty years ago!" A question he'd been meaning to pose came to mind. "How's your mother doing since the abduction?"

Naruto initially wondered which abduction, but realized the obvious answer. "Since she got back, it's really been water under the bridge. The only complaint she had was that Orochimaru wasn't among the Akatsuki present."

Akira recalled the personal lessons he received from Kyuubi. "That sounds like your mother. Well, I have matches to plan and questions to think up. I'll be seeing you! I was thinking of having you be one of the proctors of the first exam. You know, point out and signify the failures?"

The blonde shinobi nodded. "Be glad to, Akira-san!" He strolled off.

"Hey, Naruto-sensei!" he turned around. Standing behind him were his three genin. This time, unlike the last time they met, Otowano assumed the mantle of leading the other two. Satoshi seemed somewhat angst-ridden (like always), but less so than previously. Yomiko looked quite less peeved than before and happier as well. Each one had a drive to learn that Naruto had previously only seen in one of them. "Did you pass?"

"I did, Satoshi," he reminded his skinny team member, "I did." In response they each did something Naruto would never forget.

Otowano raised his fist. The others would immediately after. "Hoohaaa!"

"Kick ass!" Yomiko made sure her presence was known.

"Big time!"

Naruto grinned and gave them the two thumbs up. "Everybody needs a catch phrase! Yeah!"

Otowano seemed confused. "What happened to 'Believe it!'?"

Naruto winked. "I don't have to tell them to believe, they'll know as soon as they see what I can do. So it's just 'yeah!'"

The high-spirited genin shrugged his shoulders and raised his fist yet again. "Naruto has a new catchphrase! Hoohaaa!"

Yomiko rolled her eyes. "You are damn impossible."

The three stepped in front of their sensei and as a group proceeded to the ramen stand to celebrate. Even though Naruto had to end up paying, the group still had a good time.

The date of the chuunin exam came much quicker than expected for Naruto. Standing in the room in which the written, first part of the long exam had been scheduled to take place, the blonde jounin stared out the windows at the scores of would-be journeyman ninjas. He spotted, amongst the crowd, Sakura, Sasuke and the third member, a dark haired young boy he had never met before. He found it amusing that the last time they met, he had been a chuunin going for a jounin exam, and this time he was the jounin and _they_ were going for their chuunin exam.

"Naruto-san!" the blonde shinobi looked behind him at Ibiki, who had spoken up. "You got your observation skills up?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at the Special Jounin.

"Have I ever been unobservant?"

"Not at all. Just make sure you catch as many as possible," Ibiki instructed. "We can only have so many chuunin out of each exam."

Naruto nodded. "I understand completely." How the roles change, he thought; he had been on the other side the last time he sat in this room.

The crowd entered the exam room, and each individual exam applicant sat down and were handed a piece of paper. Ibiki provided a long, detailed explanation. None were pleased to hear the complicated instructions. The scores of each three man team were graded collectively, and if any one of the three on a team failed, they all failed. Furthermore, ten points started out each genin, losing one for each wrong answer and two automatically for any instances of cheating discovered. Nonetheless, each one began at the scheduled time. Naruto and the other proctors kept their eyes trained on the crowd, marking down the number of times cheating next to the names of the cheaters. The tension in the room hovered above the group of genin, and seemed thicker than the air around it. The blonde jounin smiled as he thought of the irony. When he had sat in the place of many of the genin, he prayed that his styles of observation caught as many answers from other genin as possible without being caught, and now he prayed his styles of observation caught as many genin cheating as possible. The proctors for this time around were some of the best the village had to offer.

When the final ten minutes came around, Ibiki pulled the same trick he pulled every year. "Okay," he began, "before I give out the final question, I must ask which of you want to take it. And the reason I ask that is because of the following." The facial expressions of many genin betrayed their confusion. "If you don't take the question, you and your teammates automatically fail."

Sure enough, as always would happen, one genin chimed in with, "Then why would any of us not take the question?" Ibiki grinned his sadistic way.

"Because of the second rule," he explained. "Any who take the question and miss it, are barred from EVER taking the chuunin exam again." A wave of fear blew over the young crowd like the tide eroding the beach away. Jaws dropped, eyes bugged out, and many of the genin right away knew they were not going to take the risk. "You don't take the question? That means you get to try again next year. But take it and get it wrong you'll never be a chuunin. Those leaving, raise your hand!" Of those not sent away by the proctors for cheating, many of the remaining made what they considered to be the rational choice and left without taking the question. The enormous group had significantly whittled down by the time Ibiki made the final call for any who were willing to leave. The final tally ranked somewhere around twenty-five teams.

"Alright, for any of those who decided to stick around, please prepare," the scarred elite jounin remarked, turning his back to the group. Naruto covered his mouth—pretending to wipe dust off his face—in order to mask his grin at how mean it was to pull this trick at the end of part one of the chunin exam. With sweat dripping off some of the genin, Ibiki turned back to the group and smiled. "You all pass!" The blonde jounin bowed his head with a smirk as he saw the confusion overcome the group almost in the manner of a wave.

"What the..." one genin burst out with. "What about the tenth question?"

Ibiki shook his head, still grinning at the humor of the situation he had created. "There is none, beyond the whole 'take the question or not' thing."

Sakura shook her head. "Then...what's with the trickery?"

At this point Naruto stood up. "It's a way of weeding out the weak willed and gutless," he fired back. He waited for the confused look he knew he'd get from his former teammate. "I mean, think about it. Could any chuunin, of any background story, be truly worthy of the position of journeyman ninja without taking on the missions where, much like this tenth question, the premise is not only impossible, but undesirable?" He then spread his focus on each member. "Let's say you all become chuunin. You can't just take the safe missions in this line of work. Life won't allow it, and neither will most kage's you might serve under. Here you were focused with two options. Neither seemed very pleasant. You take the question and fail, you could never be a chuunin again. You don't take the question, you fail automatically but still can try out. We were hoping to eliminate more of you, but I'm pleased with the results."

Ibiki folded his arms. "Excellent explanation, Naruto-san." The former Chief Interrogator of the village looked at the applicants and motioned to Naruto. "This is the Honorable Son of our Yondaime Hokage, one of the most skilled—not to mention youngest—jounin we've had in a long time. He took the test you're taking now and passed ahead of 117 possible applicants."

It happened to be at this point that the back window shattered instantly. A feminine figure in a cannonball position flying through the air launched two kunai in seemingly opposing directions which attached a flag to a hanging position from the ceiling. She, a fishnet-covered jounin in her own right, with a bloodlust-filled look on her face, stood erect with the words "Mitarashi Anko, Second Stage Chuunin Exam Proctor" emblazoned on the dark green flag behind her. In a loud, overbearing voice she cried, "Hi there. I'm Mitarashi Anko, and for stage two, you get the honor of being with ME!" She looked around at a room full of exasperated faces. She then gazed at Ibiki. "Ibiki! How could you pass _twenty-six teams_?"

"We had an exceptionally good crew this year."

Anko shook her head. "Bullshit! I'll drop _half_ of you by the time I'm through!" Many of the remaining genin shivered at the prospect of being reduced in number by half. The group, although several seemed reluctant to continue, moved forward through the village to stage two, the forest of death. The large group of genin gathered in front of the entrance to the large forest. "Alright, everyone! Here is the deal. There is a tower at the center of the forest. You must make it there as a team, alive, with both of these. Oh, and one more thing: you have five days." She lifted two scrolls for them all to see. "I am giving one to each team. This will automatically make it so that at most, only half can pass." Naruto, standing to the left of Anko, quickly scanned through the field of genin. His eyes passed a gray-haired figure with glasses.

_Hmm_, he thought. _Yakushi Kabuto. Now where in the fuck does his name come in? I know that face is familiar_. Naruto tried to place where he'd seen that face before.

"Let me give you a piece of advice," Anko said before sending the genin on their way. "Just don't die!" She then motioned for them all to pass through a tent where they were handed their scrolls so the others couldn't see. Then the teams went on their way.

Sakura, Sasuke, and the third teammate Torijiro Kuzaku, who replaced Naruto, headed on into the forest. Sakura looked deliberately a few moments at the long-haired genin. Ever the calculating type, he approached every situation analytically. Even though he had nowhere near the skill Naruto had, he had a good deal of maturity. Ever analyzing, him and Sasuke visualized any possible attack point for an enemy to appear in. Over the period of a few hours, they fielded attacks from several different enemy teams.

Anko sat down on a log next to Naruto. She leaned her head to look him in the eye, which proved difficult considering he stared at the ground. "Naruto-san?" she broke the ice with, "is everything okay?"

He shook his head to affirm. "Yeah, I'm just thinking."

Resting after a while of moving on, team seven sat down by a self-made campfire to relax. Sasuke had a concern. "Look, if we're going to be able to keep track of who's us and who's an enemy, we have to come up with some form of password or something," the Uchiha explained. Torijiro nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

Sakura chimed in with, "I have a poem that we can memorize." A fist met with her face. Torijiro immediately had his kunai drawn and swung for Sasuke, who obviously had been a fake.

"Who the hell are you, you fake?" The newest team member strafed left and right, slowly and deliberately, while keeping his eyes on the phony. "I've known you were a fake for about the last twenty minutes, so why don't you tell me where Sasuke is?"

"Hmm. How about...no?" With a shout he dove for the scroll in Sakura's hip pouch. Faster than the phony could blink, Torijiro pounced on him and landed with two kunai in the fake Sasuke's chest. He stood up and replaced his knives, turning to check Sakura. She shook her head to calm down while she slowed her breathing.

"Torijiro? Where's Sasuke?"

A figure pounced up from behind some bushes. It was—or at least appeared to be—Sasuke. "Wait!" Torijiro had his kunai pointed in the direction of who he believed to be his teammate. "How can I trust it's you?"

Sasuke grinned. "Didn't I catch you masturbating once?"

Torijiro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's you." Only Sasuke would know that.

A figure approached from behind some bushes. Sasuke, Sakura, and their new teammate all looked at him suspiciously. "Naruto? What're you doing here?"

At the rest area, Anko began to stand up when Naruto jerked straight up, with a frightened look on his face. "Oh SHIT!" he screamed. Anko became alert.

"What is it?"

"I just figured something out! Yakushi Kabuto!"

Anko lowered her eyebrows in confusion. "Who?"

He faced her. "I saw Yakushi Kabuto among the genin and I knew I'd seen his face somewhere before! His face was on a piece of paper which listed people with potential ties to Akatsuki! If Yakushi Kabuto IS tied to Akatsuki..."

When she caught on, her eyes widened. "OROCHIMARU!" She shook her head. "Oh shit! We have to get help!"

Naruto turned to her. "YOU go get the ANBU. Orochimaru, if he's here I know where he'll be."

Anko looked at him like he was nuts. "How could you possibly know where the fuck he'd be?"

"He'd be going after team seven."

"Why?"

"They're friends of mine. For some reason, Orochimaru and Akatsuki are gathering demons. That's why they kidnapped my mother a while back. If he wants me he'll go searching for them. Plus, this gives him a chance to scope out potential prey."

Anko prepared to leave, but turned to the young jounin at the last minute. "How are you going to take Orochimaru!" She watched in horror as a reddish aura overcame Naruto. His bones twisted and bent as his flesh expanded disgustingly like rising dough. The expanding body ripped his clothing to shreds and blonde hair became fur all over his body. The space directly above his anus spouted nine distinct tails. In a matter of less than a minute, a nine tailed youko standing no less than eleven feet tall towered above her.

In a voice at least seven octaves deeper, he boomed, "I'm going all out on him."

She stood terrified at the sight of the young yet mighty fox demon. "Ho...ly...sh...shi...shit..." she stammered. In a flash, he bounded into the forest and was gone. _So THIS is the horrifying power of a fox demon_, she thought. _And fuck! He's only twelve! I can only imagine what Lady Kyuubi must be like!_


	11. CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN – Present day, Human world, Village of Konohagakure: Forest of Death

(The page releases a torrent of dust as it is turned)

Wind roared past a mountainous figure as trees seemed blurs of existence to a dashing Naruto. In full fox demon form at fully one hundred percent of his power, the young youko could very well see as far away as a mile into the forest, and hear everything at immensely amplified volume. He heard the shouts and yells of fighting genin as well as complaints but pushed all aside and focused on his main target coming closer into his field of vision. The form of Orochimaru, disguised as Naruto's human form started out as a mere dot in the distance, albeit a rapidly growing one. Trees rattled and leaves fell in swarms under the weight of a charging fifteen hundred pound demon kitsune leaping from one tree to another. His eleven foot tall frame burst through the trees he couldn't leap off of. He HAD to get to the bastard serpent before innocent lives were lost.

"Guys? Don't you know it's me?" Sakura and Sasuke stood on edge as their unknown enemy strolled seemingly happily towards them. Perfectly mimicking all the emotional gestures without being the slightest bit obvious, Orochimaru pulled off a Naruto that would convince all who weren't the utmost suspicious of all they saw. He tried to step close but Sasuke threw a kunai at the feet of the imitation.

"Don't! I can't trust it's you, Naruto," he firmly stated. He wanted to believe it was his friend and former comrade, and every common-sense neuron fired a message of that sort, but being emotional sometimes meant death. He could not trust even the most convincing thing. He was a ninja; any expert jounin could pull such an act off.

The disguised Orochimaru shook his head with a hurt look. "All that time, you and me," he looked at the pink-haired kunoichi to more effectively fake the proof, "and you too Sakura! All that time we spent on missions, like the bridge builder? All the things we talked about?" He cocked his head to the right slightly. "You can't trust ME?" Some faint resounding taps intensified into thuds. By the time they further intensified into booms, all four looked to the right of Orochimaru.

KAPOW!

A large bushy tail smacked right into the torso of the snake ninja, viciously blasting him through a massive tree. Team Seven looked at the massive kitsune. Sakura seemed at first afraid, but when it hit her she smiled. "NARUTO!" Sasuke grinned. _Save us at the last minute from an impostor, nice one Naruto._ Only Torijiro seemed on edge.

"This is...Naruto?" He raised an eyebrow. He had heard that the honorable son was a fox demon, but hadn't believed it. "Hey, if you're Naruto who's...that..." A pale-skinned, dark-haired, eye-shadowed freak of a human being—if he could be called that—stepped out from the wrecked remains of a gigantic piece of lumber. The enormous kitsune stared him down with penetrating red eyes of fury. Orochimaru, his twisted self in all its trueness and appearance, looked into the hate-filled eyes of Naruto and felt no fear whatsoever.

"You've come here to stop me?" The serpent ninja let a mild laugh. "I find it so funny. You think you've got this nice bead on things. I have a higher allegiance."

"You can take your higher allegiance and cram it. You're going to die here and NOW." Naruto's booming voice came as the signal for team seven to book. With them gone, the fox demon could focus on his main enemy. Orochimaru looked somewhat disdained, having lost his chance to mark Sasuke, but couldn't think of such things. He had a massive fox demon staring him down, and he had to stay alert lest he be killed quickly.

Before the blonde kitsune had a chance to move, the snake ninja bit his thumb and drove a blood-covered hand into the ground, summoning a gigantic snake by means of kuchiyose no jutsu. Orochimaru guided his snake from atop its head as it lunged for Naruto. Fangs of the large serpent drove deep into the fur of the blonde kitsune, causing a loud roar. Naruto responded with a furious swipe with his claws, throwing the snake off balance a bit and allowing for the powerful fox demon jaws to clamp on part of the neck of the snake, and tear a good sized piece of flesh off. A tail smash blasted Naruto into a large tree, bending the large slab of standing wood almost to the snapping point. A second tail swipe threw him several hundred yards to his left.

Naruto recovered soon enough to jump, with the large snake's jaw eating dirt a millionth of a second after his prey would've been there. The blonde kitsune wrapped five tails around its neck and launched it smoothly into the forest canopy, buying himself at least some time. Orochimaru landed on the back of Naruto, and drove his ninja-to into the upper back of his opponent. A loud roar of pain resounded through the forest, and instinctively the blonde kitsune knocked his foe off him with one swish of a tail. _I have to stop this damn giant snake_, Naruto thought. _The fucker poisoned me with his bite._

The snake came crashing down about a hundred yards from Naruto. The proximity forced him to dodge the moment the snake began moving. A long, flowing battering ram the snake seemed, with its jaws wide open as it plowed through several large trees like they were nothing. The serpent's long end tail wound itself around the blonde kitsune's long torso and in a seamless offensive, slammed him viciously into the ground, throwing dirt into his face and staining his fur to a dirty shade of yellowish brown, and then flung him like a balled wad of paper into a group of gigantic trees. Standing up Naruto instantly got sandwiched against the tree with the first tail smash of the snake, and pushed through the tree upon the second. He wrestled his massive frame to a standing position and readied himself for the third tail strike. The large end of the serpent sailed through the air like a flying bird.

Naruto put more weight on his back legs, and snatched the large tail out of midair with his front paws. Gritting his fangs he dug his claws into the flesh and tensed his arm muscles. He aimed for the largest section of an enormous rock formation far to his left. In one swift display of unbelievable strength, he chucked the summoned snake into the rocks, causing the entire structure to come down on the beast. Naruto began to rest.

But he wouldn't be given long. The rock ruins shifted and exploded, releasing the cut and slightly injured snake. Flowing through the forest faster than Naruto had seen before, the snake opened his mouth and pounced on the fox demon.

"YES!" Orochimaru screeched, watching the snake.

"AAARrrrrrrgggghh!"

Naruto, utilizing what strength he could, brought both front paws down on the lower jaw of the snake, and bit into the upper jaw. A single roar of power and Naruto jerked his head to his right, tearing the head of the giant serpent in half. Orochimaru prepared to leap into the trees and escape when the largest of Naruto's nine tails wrapped around his torso. "You are going to die here!" Gritting his teeth, the blonde kitsune squeezed, crushing many of the serpent ninja's bones with the first pull, biting into the left arm of Orochimaru and spreading his own fox demon venom into him.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" The teeth-grinding yell of sheer agony from Orochimaru came almost as a signal; a mysterious figure landed on the neck of Naruto, and threw an unidentifiable mixture into his eyes.

"Aarrrgh! I CAN'T SEE!" Naruto blinked repeatedly as he reverted back to human form to more adequately wash out his eyes, and the figure grabbed the snake ninja, hoisted him onto his right shoulder, and took off leaping from tree to tree. "GODDAMMIT! I'M GOING TO GET YOU!"

Someone had saved Orochimaru from the wrath of Naruto. Finally wiping the powdery mixture from his eyes in human form, Naruto's demon blood had completely counteracted the poison . _Fucking gunpowder and salt,_ Naruto realized. _It wasn't meant to blind me at all; it was just fucking GUNPOWDER AND SALT!_ Summoning a new set of clothes with his magic, he leapt into the trees, a good bead on the enemy did he have. He had about three minutes before he caught up to them, he estimated.

* * *

"Th..ank you for...rescuing me..." Orochimaru feebly uttered. "Wait...stop. That bastard Naruto poisoned me."

The figure turned to Orochimaru, frightened. "You've been tainted with fox demon venom! There's no cure for that!"

"Tell...me, is...Kabuto...here?"

"Kabuto's right next to me," the figure said. "He caught up to us a few steps ago. Look, whatever's gonna happen we have to get it done NOW. Naruto'll be on us in a matter of another minute!"

"K...Kabuto," Orochimaru weakly groaned, "you have...to give me your body. It's the...it's the only way I'll make it." The figure set down Orochimaru and watched as he utilized his last bit of strength to transfer into Kabuto. A snake-like black aura ejected from the mouth of the dying snake ninja and consumed the glasses-wearing jounin. A shout of pain came from Kabuto as his consciousness and body were taken over by his master. As the medical nin's flesh became pale, and the tell-tale face coloration of Orochimaru appeared, he turned to the figure.

"I can go from here," Orochimaru said. "I don't care how you distract them, distract them." The figure nodded and Orochimaru, in a new body, took off.

Naruto could sense ANBU charging up behind him, several hundred yards back. He could see a vague outline of the battle scene up ahead. As he got closer, he saw a familiar figure awaiting him. Stopping upon arrival, he squinted in confusion. "Father?" The Yondaime stood over a corpse. A freshly dead ninja garbed in Akatsuki robes had recently had his neck snapped. "What're you doing here?" The ANBU continued past them.

Yondaime motioned with a twist of his head the dead person behind him. "I heard there was some trouble with Akatsuki going on so I paid a visit. Took a little detour to get straight to the problem. This is the Akatsuki bastard sent behind to slow you down."

Naruto bowed his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't get Orochimaru..."

Yondaime shook his head. "Don't worry. If we can't get him, we'll try again next time. Son, you defended those that were precious to you! I'm proud you put your life on the line to defend our village. But just go on to the tower and we'll take it from here."

"You sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah, go on."

Inside the tower, the various teams collected for the next part of the chuunin exam. Several from Konoha, and many from the other villages all had gathered for what promised to be a hellacious battle for young ninja supremacy. The jounin that had been assigned to watch the fights in the next part of the exam all gathered in a line behind the third Hokage, who had been asked to sit and oversee the combat while the fourth tried his hardest to catch up with Orochimaru and the various akatsuki who served him. Naruto stood and scanned over the teams to see if anything stood out of place that would require his attention.

"Let me explain one thing before you meet your proctor for this part of the chuunin exam," the aging former leader of the village elaborated. "This exam is a replacement for all-out war between the villages."

Inevitably, one genin in the front row asked the obvious question. "What do you mean, it's a replacement for war?" The third smiled, for this question he had awaited.

"If you look back in the long and complex history of the five shinobi nations, all the allies now at one point or another were mortal enemies," he continued, "and it became evident at some point that the wars that were going on were not conducive to the continued well-being of the world. Therefore, the battlefield transformed into a slightly less-grand scale. The chuunin selection examination.

"Here, nations can fight one another on a level with much less bloodshed, and display their strength. Here, nations' fates are decided without tremendous loss of life, and it gives potential to allow changes in society. If one village is less powerful than another, the superior-looking village will gain and the inferior-looking will lose. So there is, in fact, much more on the line than your victory or defeat here."

A ninja popped in out of a cloud of smoke, and bowed to the third Hokage. "Forgive the interruption, Hokage-sama, but if you don't mind I shall take it from here." The sickly looking Hayate turned to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Gekkou Hayate, and it is my job to oversee this stage of the exam. Here, you shall engage one another in one on one combat. While it is my responsibility to ensure that the matches don't result in blood baths, it is your responsibility to know when to surrender to avoid getting killed. That being said, it requires a great deal of skill to exercise control in combat. If you can soundly defeat your opponent without murdering them, it is a display of talent. We shall begin!" The large screen flashed two names. KUZAKU TORIJIRO versus INUZUKA KIBA

Torijiro looked up at the screen and identified his name, the looked over the room at his fellow Konoha ninja. The young man with his puppy tucked comfortably inside his shirt grinned a victory smile as he clenched his fist at the pretty-boy who had replaced Naruto on team seven. Two puffs of smoke later and the combatants were in the middle of the large ground floor level, ready for battle. "You'd better be ready," Kiba announced, "Akamaru and I, we're gonna completely annihilate you!"

"Ready? Begin!" Hayate shouted, dropping a raised hand for effect. Naruto looked on as his replacement dodged a combined attack from both Akamaru and Kiba. The master fed his battle partner a soldier pill, and the dog made use of human mimicry technique to combine his attack and be twice as effective as either of them alone. Torijiro barely dodged a second attack and landed on his feet. The medium-dark haired genin, garbed in black shirt and pants bit his right thumb enough to draw a bit of blood and slapped a spot down on the ground an instant before leaping above yet another attempt by Kiba. When his attacker and the mimicking puppy landed two separate kicks on him, he dripped a bit more blood from his thumb and countered with a upwards kick to the face of one of his opponents. Doing a flip leap off the shoulders of the other, he landed a few feet away.

"Is that all you can do?" Kiba shouted. "Run away like a scared chicken?" He flung himself at Torijiro and at the same time, Akamaru synchronized so they struck him from opposing sides and nearly drove the wind out of him. He managed to drip some more blood and land several punches to each of his foes and escaped their grasp again. Kiba, in an amazing display of speed, materialized immediately in front of where his enemy landed and swung a roundhouse, which Torijiro barely ducked below. The other opponent came flying in and Torijiro sent him off with a standing super kick, who landed upside-down on his hands and bounced to a standing position.

Torijiro grinned, and Kiba attempted to wipe the grin off with a vicious open palmed strike to the face. With his left hand the prettyboy pushed the strike to the left of him and spun into a sweep kick which the dog lover bounced above. He splattered a bit more blood on the floor and stood up. When his opponent swung at him, he simply grabbed Kiba by the coat and pushed him backwards. "You idiot!" Sasuke shouted from the stands. "What was THAT supposed to do?" Kiba seemed to be wondering as well, as he charged for his opponent who arrogantly strolled back a few steps.

Except he slammed into an invisible barrier and fell backwards on his butt. Confused, Kiba leapt for his foe again, and met the same fate. "Didn't you see the blood trail on the ground, Kiba?" Torijiro explained. "Makes a perfect circle." Torijiro made a few hand signals and the blood circle moved backward, tightening.

Naruto folded his arms, impressed. _Blood Circle Chakra Barrier no Jutsu? Impressive. I didn't think any humans knew that one._ Kiba certainly was a fool to fall into it. This left Torijiro an excellent opportunity, which he took full advantage of, with a powerful combo which he ended with a violent roundhouse kick. As Kiba was ejected from the circle by the force of his opponent's kick, he landed several inches from the wall, and in a poof of smoke, turned back.

Back into Akamaru.

Surprised at the turn of events, Torijiro barely turned around fast enough to get punched square in the face by the real Kiba, and land a few feet away. He clenched his fist as he forced himself up. _Dammit!_ he knew. _That was my ONE secret weapon, and I wasted it on that fucking mutt!_ He knew he was in trouble, as that took a lot of his chakra. The two began trading blows, although Torijiro had used up almost all of his chakra.

Naruto glanced at Hayate. The two jounin stared into each other's eyes for a moment, as both knew the inevitable result. The sickly-looking proctor raised his arm. "The victory goes to Kiba, as Torijiro does not have the chakra to finish the combat!"

The member of team seven shot a look of shock and anger at the jounin. "What the hell are you talking about? I can still fight!"

Hayate shook his head. "I see you've used up too much chakra to do much good against an opponent who still has a significant amount of his power and endurance left. I'm doing you a favor and declaring this match over."

The prettyboy collared the proctor with his right fist drawn behind his head. "How dare you do this?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "TORIJIRO!" The shout from up in the stands caught his attention. "You did a good job, and you perfectly utilized a powerful jutsu which, if had been better strategized, would've won you the fight."

Torijiro let loose of Hayate and looked up at his superior. "What did I do wrong that turned the tide?"

"You got arrogant. You made an assumption which turned out to be wrong. Hayate did you a favor and ended the match while you can still stand. You had more chakra than Kiba to start with, and you had superior speed. If you had gotten him and Akamaru into the circle instead of kicking one of them away—and hoping you got the right one, which you didn't—you'd have won. Now get your ass up here." Disheartened by his loss, the genin complied. The screen flickered a moment and displayed a new set of names: HYUUGA HINATA vs. HYUUGA NEJI

Something about the shy, nervous girl caught Naruto's attention. He had never really noticed her before. Somehow, though, he saw through the shivering fear she displayed, standing opposite her older cousin. He saw pain in her stance and her posture, in her past she had suffered at Neji's hands. The thought of that made Naruto just a little bit peeved.

"You can't win, Hinata-sama," Neji explained, perfectly assured of his statements as true. His tone held the pitch and volume of someone who believed truthfully in their own facts, and held power that caused her to quake. "You see, it is your fate that you are not to be a great ninja. On missions, you give in to fear and fail." He blinked only a few times, perfectly calm in a raging hurricane of powerful emotions only the fearful girl and her older cousin understood. "A tiger doesn't change its stripes, and I can tell you would've been happier staying at the genin level. Truth be told, you're only doing this so your teammates can take the exam."

"A...ac...actually, Ne...Neji nii-san, you're wr...wrong..." she stammered, "I...I took the...the test...of my own...will. I w...wanted to...change that ab...about mys...self."

He shook his head. "No, Hinata-sama. You're frightened. You can't fool these eyes of mine. Just now, you diverted your eyes from mine, you wanted to avoid my gaze because it reminds you of the simple fact that you can't win. That comes from past experience. Just now, I can tell by the direction you looked you were reminiscing of a previous encounter, in which you suffered." Just listening to the monologue of Hyuuga Neji made Naruto's fist clench and his blood boil.

"HINATA!" he screeched. "Beat the fuck out of this asshole! He's pissing _me_ off, and you're the one who has to fight him! Don't take his shit! Knock his fucking lights out!" The angry battle cry of Naruto solidified something inside the spirit of Hinata. Her will hardened from willing to surrender into a desire to battle. Taking up stance, she swallowed her fear and pushed aside the past. Her byakugan revealed, she knew she had to do something.

"No, Neji-san, you're not going to scare me off," she reminded him, a remarkable display of willpower she needed to push aside her fear and speak plainly. "Regardless of outcome I can't let you beat me without a fight."

The battle began instantly after that. The two siblings, the latest combatants in a war that had raged on long before them, and would possibly rage on long after them, took to the gentle fist style against one another. The branch house of Hyuuga clan, several generations of vengeful hatred bottled up in one Neji, fired angry attacks at Hinata. The shy girl seemingly gone, replaced by a fire-born phoenix of main house pride, dodged as best as she could and traded blows in amazing style.

It would not take long, unfortunately, for the tide to take the turn many expected it to take. Neji, who excelled in all his ninja arts, stood at the positive end of a skill gap far too wide for the Hinata he currently fought—even though this Hinata had willpower and courage eons ahead of the old one—to bridge. As she aimed for his chest he landed a powerful blow which attacked her heart. Her mouth jerked open wide as a spurt of blood came out. Her entire frame racked with incomprehensible pain the likes of which she had never before felt. As one mass she crumpled to the ground, shifting slightly as though a collapsing tower. The torturer stood over her, a blatant look of nonchalantness on his face.

"Hinata-sama, you are indeed stupid," he rattled. "You were defeated the moment you challenged me. But now that you've tortured yourself, be at peace! You don't need to suffer anymore. Just accept that you are destined to be inferior."

"N...No...Ne...Neji...nii-san," she uttered, blood dripping from her mouth as she struggled with all her might to a standing position. "I can tell...it's y...you...even mo...re so t..than me...who is torn...torn between the...the confusing de...destinies of our cl...clan..." The air tensed up as everyone could sense something inside of Neji just snap.

In a single motion he grabbed her neck with his right hand and squeezed with all his might, shouting obscenities at her. Several of the jounin rushed to her aide, but Naruto was the first to arrive. "HEY! NEJI! The match is over!"

Neji stared into Naruto's eyes. "Oh! More special treatment for the main branch! You're just as bad as her! She deserves this fate!"

_She DESERVES to suffer?_ Some part of Naruto that had just had enough of the bullshit, rushed to the surface. Naruto didn't even know what happened. In the blink of an eye, he was standing on the stomach of Neji, pounding the holy hell out of the Hyuuga. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DO THIS SHIT?" A stream of obscenities came from Naruto's mouth as he went all out.

Hayate tackled him off of Neji. "Naruto! Calm down!" Rising like an angry bear, Naruto came to his senses, and looked around at what he had caused. "Get the medical team down here now! Hinata's going into heart failure, and Neji's gotten several broken bones and could even have internal bleeding!"

Naruto stood open mouthed at the injuries he had just caused. Neji had his own blood all over him. He began coughing up blood. "Naruto," Jiraiya uttered, approaching the jounin, "I'm sorry, but you're out of line. You interfered in a combat you weren't involved in, and Neji could die because of this. For now, you're ejected from taking part in proctoring this exam. Later on Yondaime-sama will need you in his office to discuss punishment options."


	12. CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN – Present day, Human world, Village of Konohagakure

(the page is remarkably free of markings)

Naruto knew of his fate. He would be punished for his actions. Despite taking a stand to protect a helpless victim, he would be penalized for nearly killing someone. That someone happened to be Neji of the branch house of the Hyuuga clan. He didn't even fully understand what had triggered the outburst. One minute he was watching a fight—Neji versus Hinata—and the next he found himself delivering blows that might have proven fatal. In fact, the male Hyuuga barely survived the evening. Yondaime stepped into the office, a look of disappointment and concern on his face. He sat down and acknowledged his son with a powerful stare. "Naruto," he uttered.

"Before you even say anything," Naruto self-defended, "I want to say this: Neji had superior technique and power over Hinata, and he struck to kill. Did I not do the right thing?"

Yondaime opened his eyes fully wide an instant and blinked, to take in the full effect of the situation. "It isn't that. It's that you damn near killed a Hyuuga. You're incredibly ballsy for doing that. They're like the royal family of Konoha."

Naruto stared down his father. "Why is it so bad? It took a lot of effort for me not to kill him the way he was acting! I wanted to hurt the bastard for how he abused his cousin! The match was a farce! She shouldn't have had to suffer!"

"Goddammit, Naruto! It isn't that fucking simple!" After slamming an open palm down on the desk, he shook his head and lowered his voice. "Sorry." He coughed and cleared his mind. "If it were up to me, you'd get your wrists slapped and you'd move on. But...there's politics involved."

Naruto seemed confused. "Politics? You gotta fucking be kidding me."

Yondaime bowed his head. "Hiashi went over my head, the fucker! Protested to the Committee of Elders, who decide the fate of the Hokage. Using the Hyuuga clan prestige, and citing claims of personal bias on my part, he got them to issue a committee mandate I can't effect."

"How is that possible? The Hokage is entrusted to run the village because the committee isn't a congress. They don't have the resources to make decisions as frequently as the Hokage, or the ability to act fast enough in times of crises. I thought they only issued mandates once a blue moon."

"He's a Hyuuga," answered Yondaime. "Furthermore, he's the effective leader of the Hyuuga. His clan's elders authorize him to make all the decisions for the clan. The committee can't afford the risk of the clan defecting."

Naruto was open-mouthed. "DEFECTING? Even joking about defecting to another village's military is a crime! If he so much as said defecting and Hyuuga in the same paragraph, he'd be jailed for treason!"

Yondaime solemnly shook his head. "I know. He knows. The committee knows. But the risk is there. And they can't afford it."

Naruto could scarcely believe what he was hearing. "So, lemme get this straight; if you're a Hyuuga, and you're a sore loser, you can marginalize and render meaningless the ENTIRE GODDAMN government of the Village Hidden in the Leaf over something as fucking trivial as a chuunin exam match interference! How goddamn corrupt this is!"

Yondaime sighed. "I'm terribly sorry. There's nothing I can do. Now give me your vest, headband, and your ninja gear. You're suspended until further notice from the committee."

"This is bullshit," Naruto scoffed, surrendering his equipment.

"That isn't all," Yondaime continued. "You'll only be reinstated after an undefined period of time of Hiashi's choosing. You'll have to work off the debt in the Hyuuga household."

Naruto stamped his foot. "Don't you see how bullshit this is, father? He's just rubbing his authority as mister bigshot Hyuuga in your face to get back at me! Suspension isn't bad enough? Now I, one of our village's elite jounin—a military unit which, if I recall correctly, is already unusually low-staffed this term—am off-duty for necessary disobedience? Now I have to be an indentured fucking servant?"

Yondaime shook his head. "Naruto, I'm sorry."

Naruto scoffed. "YOU'RE sorry. Ha. Fuck." He wiped his forehead and strolled defiantly out of his father's office. Never in his life had he been so pathetically disgraced. A vengeful Hiashi manipulating the government of Konohagakure merely to get his way, forced the committee into an action they otherwise would not have even considered, merely because one man was pissed. Just the thought made his blood boil. His father would have laid down a fair punishment to Naruto, but no, that wasn't good enough. It wasn't for the adult head of the main branch of the biggest bunch of overgrown ego, selfish fuckheads the village had ever seen.

The anger on his mind boiled down to a slight simmer as he stepped into the hospital. The receptionist snorted silently and filed away paperwork as Naruto approached her. "Before you even ask, Honorable Son, I've been ordered not to allow you access to Neji." Satisfied she had dealt with the business which served as his reason for being there, she turned away. A few seconds later, she sensed he had not left, and turned around. "What do you want?"

"Can you at least tell me how Hinata and him are doing?" She looked upward, thinking. A second later she concluded that his request didn't violate orders, so she answered. "I'd like to know."

"Neji had severe injuries and minor internal bleeding. Had he not fought like a mother to live, he'd be dead, and Hiashi would have your head on a stick in his bedroom. It's way too early to tell his permanent condition. Hinata had some extremely minor tissue damage to the heart which posed an initial threat but she'll turn out fine. I believe with Tsunade-sama's special treatment she'll be home tonight." Nodding, he accepted her answer, and left. His next stop meant into the lion's den: the Hyuuga Manor. Naruto absolutely despised when personal affairs got brought into major politics. It disgusted him.

Naturally, Hiashi met him halfway there. The powerful-looking Hyuuga stood with folded arms, waiting. Several times for effect he checked his watch. "You know you're late," he reminded Naruto. The Honorable Son made sure to shoot him lots of nasty looks. "My son could've died because of your reckless inability to control your barbaric behaviour." Naruto would've laughed if he wasn't severely pissed. _Yeah, it's awfully fucking convenient, now that he's in danger of dying that he's your SON,_ the blonde shinobi thought to himself. _Before he was practically meaningless to you. Some relationship you and your nephew share._ The Hyuuga continued his rant. "By the time I'm through with you, you're going to regret ever laying a hand on Neji. You're going to wish he'd kicked your ass, because at least that'd be temporary. Every day for you is going to be a waking nightmare until I'm satisfied. You're going to be so exhausted every night you'll be begging me to release you from your servitude."

"You could've taught Neji how to be grateful to his opponents in victory, and how to be humble, the way Hinata is," Naruto beckoned. "Then I wouldn't have had to put foot to ass. I'm glad I'm suffering instead of Hinata."

Hiashi scoffed. "Hinata's a miserable, pathetic excuse for a human being. She's the biggest failure ever to come out of our clan, quite possibly the biggest failure in this village's noble history. I find it difficult to imagine my sperm producing an offspring of such low quality."

Naruto clenched his fist. "I've had just about enough of your bullshit!"

Hiashi would not be impressed. "If you dare raise that fist to me, I'll tear that whole arm off!"

"Hinata's nice and decent, not to mention mellow and selfless! She's not a selfish, ignorant, deluded, egotistical, self-centered, uncaring, heartless son of a bitch like YOU!"

"NOW YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Hiashi barked. "You're in for six months of torture, not the three I was planning!"

"What makes you think I care?"

"You're going to do as I say or I'll have the committee banish you!"

"YOU'RE not the Hokage!"

Hiashi laughed. "That's irrelevant. You're going to be made an example of. No one messes with a Hyuuga and gets away with it."

Naruto rolled his eyes; damn his inability to be tactful and not abruptly say whatever crossed his mind. Now despite his speakings being truthful, they had forced him into hotter water than he was in before. He expected to be tormented as he set foot into the sprawling—although not without grandeur and very noble feeling—manor.

What he got instead was nothing short of indentured servitude. Forced, under threat of a formal complaint to the committee, to wear a hundred pound weighted jacket with spell parchment woven in to suppress demonic power, Naruto found himself frequently and unwaveringly required to do mundane tasks. Tasks that any would possibly be doing on occasion, he did. However, there would be bizarre stipulations on how the task was to be done, and even unnecessary frequency of execution. The first day, the Honorable Son's schedule for each day got laid out. At sun up, he would be given a bucket and a toothbrush, and would be given the next five hours to clean every floor. He then got served bland gruel and water for breakfast. Upon finishing, he would have to wash all the clothing of every member of the clan, and had to categorize the laundered attire by age and by person. He would follow that up with cooking lunch and dinner for each member, and had to wait until everyone else had finished their meal before he could have any for himself. Then he had maybe an hour of free time, which was to be followed up with "body guard duty," which meant, in essence, he had the less than enviable task of following around Hanabi and other Hyuuga members and had to cater to them as well as take verbal abuse. If by some act of God he managed to stay sane, he had to clean hair and faces of the elders before retiring to bed to get maybe five hours sleep. In all of this, he had to stop whatever it was he was doing if anyone asked him to do anything, and serve that person's whim first. The first day his massively heavy and spell-lined jacket (which got extremely hot in the sun) was the only thing keeping him from murdering someone.

It came sometime around seven P.M. on the third day that it hit him how pitiful his punishment really was. Hanabi had finished a long and stress-filled training session with her father. Naturally, she had a hell of a time trying to measure up to the clan's requirement and as such she vented on the only willing soul around: Naruto. "Naruto-san, are you carrying my things with pride?"

"I am very proud to carry your things, Hanabi-sama," he said in a mockingly happy tone. _Her pencil neck,_ thought the fox demon, _One squeeze'd put her to sleep forever. Just one FUCKING squeeze._ The child continued to berate her superior ninja.

"I think you're too stressed physically to proudly bear my burden, Naruto san!"

"You try carrying fifty pounds of material for making your outfits, Hanabi-sama, while wearing a hundred pound jacket." From the degree of manual labor he'd done that day, he could barely stand. The gigantic pile of clothing material she'd picked out taxed his limits.

"Be proud, Naruto-san! You're doing proud work!" He grew tired of the "Naruto-_san_," crap. He obviously outmatched her, it'd be akin to comparing a spitwad to a tsunami. With all four limbs broken he could still knock her out merely by emitting a sudden burst of chakra. In a state where she could best him he'd be too close to death to even battle. So her blatant defiance of his position in Konoha and lack of respect surpassed irritating and bordered on excruciatingly hateful. She grinned as she watched him struggle. Their finally approaching the manor came much to his relief. Setting the material down in the assigned spot, Naruto saw Hiashi awaiting his return.

"Naruto-san," the elder Hyuuga uttered, grand-like. "I am pleased to see you proudly accepting your tasks." Naruto glared at him, malice buried deep in his gaze. "You may go to bed early, but remain alert in case you are needed." The blonde ninja gave him a sarcastic, "that's-very-kind-of-you" look. "Good night, Naruto-san."

"Happy to serve, Hiashi-sama," Naruto uttered, falsely happy. He struggled to his bedroom, a modified boiler room converted into a bedroom. He eased his tired, worn frame down on the uncomfortable mattress. He certainly did not appreciate the spell on the front of the jacket which prevented him from taking it off, as it impaired his ability to sleep even further. He leaned his head back against the stiff pillow, he fell asleep remarkably easy all things considered, due to his exhausted state. It would be, however, not something which lasted an enjoyably long period of time. Distinct footsteps awoke him. His eyes snapped open. His eyeballs shifted to his left. "Hinata-sama? Is there something you need?"

"N...no..Na...Na...rut...o-sama..."

"C'mon, c'mon," he pressed, growing impatient. "If you need something, just tell me so I can do it and get back to sleep." His unusually sharp tone cut her spiritually, despite knowing of the inhuman work and abuse he'd endured that day. A tear slid down her cheek.

"F...Forgive...my interruption, Na...Naru...Naruto-sa...ma..." More tears came as she left the doorway.

"Oh dammit," he uttered, softening his tone. "Come back in here, Hinata-sama, it was wrong of me to get upset. You're not to blame." Hearing his kinder words, she crept back in. Still slightly nervous, she shook slightly. "Come on, Hinata. I'm not mad at you. Come on." She peered in, and seeing his gesture, entered. "I'll be glad to help you. What do you need?"

"I...I just...never got to thank you," she explained. "You saved me. Ne...Neji nii-san would surely have killed me."

"Your cousin is an asshole," Naruto made clear. "He deserved the ass kicking I gave him." He craned his head towards her to establish eye contact. Her beautiful eyes conveyed a kind of gentleness he found refreshing. She seemed content sitting in his presence. Her face seemed so pure, like the fresh fallen snow—free of imperfection. Neji's face always held a look of burning hatred. Such polar opposites these cousins.

"You...you're so strong, so powerful," she revealed, trying insanely to put to words her feelings. "You are never intimidated. The most powerful beings in the universe don't faze you. I'd give my right arm for a tenth the courage in you."

He cut her off. "Thank you, but that is confidence, not courage. Courage is not backing down against a much more powerful foe. True bravery is when you can be crushed, and you tremble in terror but refuse to give in to them without making a stand. True courage is you versus Neji. What I did was vent anger." His kind words emboldened her.

"When I think of you, I...I...I imagine myself standing above everyone. I imagine all the naysayers respecting me."

"That will never happen, Hinata, if you don't believe. Everyone laughs when I pump my fist and say 'Believe it!' but do you ever stop to think what that actually means? It's my way of saying you'd best believe in me, or you'll get crushed beneath me. I always say the first step to superiority is the catch phrase. You need a line that establishes the fact that they won't get an easy victory with you opposite them."

She smiled. "I...I will, Naruto!"

He smiled too. "Good! Because after all, you're the best Hinata that will ever live." As she began to step towards the door, he fell back asleep. Instead of leaving, however, she crept back towards the bed. She looked at his rhythmic breathing. He'd been worked practically to death with side tasks off his schedule, and yet, he slumbered peacefully. She sat on the bed and leaned over.

"You're amazing, Naruto. I wish my feelings were more easily expressed." she kissed his lips.

"P...retty...Hinata..." he mumbled. "Shapely...face...beau...tiful...eyes...Hin...ata..."

She leaned further. Resting her head against his chest, she began to cry happy tears. "Oh...Naruto, I wish I could just scream it. I've loved you from afar."

"Brave...ne...never...surrender...love...Hinata...remem...ber...you..." the dreamer mumbled. His hand drifted upward and rubbed her hair. A smile formed on his semiconscious face. "Pre...tty...pretty Hinata..." She wiped her eyes on his jacket. "You...Hinata...stay..." After that he remained silent until morning.

"Alright," she whispered. "I'll stay with you." She cuddled up to him. "I just wish I could speak clearer and louder." His body warmth lulled her to sleep.


	13. CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE – Present day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(the page has numerous fingerprints that have soaked in)

Hanabi approached the bedroom of Naruto when the sun came up. "Naruto-san, it's time to get up and...eep!" She saw Hinata curled up next to him. Her first instinct was to scream loudly of them having a wild, torrid affair, but then she stopped and noticed that they were both fully clothed. Naruto's obstructive jacket prevented any sort of activity, and his pants were completely fastened. Naruto stirred, and opened his eyes, and that came as her cue to leave. The blonde ninja groggily rose to a seated position. He smiled when he saw Hinata curled up in the blankets. Moving off the bed stirred her to awareness.

"Good m...morning, Naruto-kun," she vocalized. "Tha...thank you for your guiding words last night."

He shook his head. "No, Hinata-chan, don't thank me, you just needed to hear the truth." He saw the bucket of hot water and the toothbrush and he cringed. His morning duty had arrived. "I'd love to talk to you but I have work to do, and I can't leave your father waiting." He left the room, and she went to the kitchen to eat. She had never been quite as close to Naruto as she had that night, and she wished she could've spent a much longer amount of time in his arms.

On the other side of the village, Kyuubi lectured to a group of academy students when she caught sight of Yondaime marching towards the gate. He had a steady pace which meant he had a very important goal in mind. She interrupted the lecture to approach him. He drew his jacket and walked, looking slightly peeved. "Arashi? Arashi! Where are you going? I'll accompany you!"

He didn't stop, just shook his head. "Sorry, Kyuubi-chan, matters which require my attention are at hand. Political shit. I must go alone." She watched as he showed a piece of paper to the gate guard, who motioned and the large gate crept open. Immediately outside the village, the large gate slid shut. She walked towards the lecture group with confusion on her mind. _This is the second time in a month he's left for "matters which require" his attention. It's a bit confusing. I wonder how Naruto's doing. It was so unprofessional of Hiashi to do what he did._

Naruto finished his bit of dinner (a small bit it was) and began his afternoon training. Only an hour did he have and his body ached from the work, so he did little more than meditate. Deep in a trance he engrossed himself. Hinata stood several feet away, watching him. She stared at him focusing on his meditation; such devotion to training, even in pain. It amazed her. Without opening his eyes, he interrupted his trance and said, "Hinata, don't stand there staring. I can tell you want something."

"Oh, um, d...do you m...mind helping me with my training? I haven't made m...much progress. I know if you help me I'll go far." He glanced at her, and she became nervous. "Uh...um...th...that is...if I...it's not too much trouble."

"I'd be happy to," he spoke. "I notice you use Hyuuga style gentle fist, so power won't be much help. You have good chakra, so that isn't your main problem. If I were you I'd focus on your speed. Attack me." She propelled her hand forward to strike his chest, and he effortlessly dodged in sync with her attack. "Yeah, I'm right. Your speed is key, so let me help you." He cut her thumb and drew four symbols, one on each wrist and one above each ankle. "This will make you feel weighed down. Practice with these and when you get used to them, use your blood to wash them off." They continued to spar.

Kyuubi paced around in her office. Something did not add up. "Ebisu-san," she said to the jounin in her presence. "Yondaime-sama's been leaving at bizarre times. It's not that I don't trust him, it's that I can't afford to be left out of the loop."

Ebisu nodded. "So you want me to find Yondaime-sama and secretly find out his business?"

She gave a reassuring smile. "Yes. Don't let him find you."

He saluted. "Yes, Kyuubi-sama!" In a puff he left. She didn't understand why Yondaime, who she'd never received mistrust or manipulation from, would leave and not include her. Her Arashi could tell her damn near everything. Such mutual openness she'd never felt. So his recent behaviour mystified her.

"Arrgh, I just can't move with these weight symbols!" Hinata uttered, trying to hit an elusive Naruto. He grinned.

"Working with weights, even weight symbols, is hard at first," he explained. "In a few weeks you'll get the hang of it." During training, Naruto felt a presence approaching. Hinata's tensing up warned of Hiashi. She instinctively covered the markings he'd formed with her blood.

"Thank you for your training of Hinata, Naruto-san," Hiashi praised, "but you're wasting your time on a lost cause. Hinata is a hopeless waste of blood."

Naruto glared at him. "I'd prefer if you didn't bash my pupil when I'm training her."

Hiashi chuckled. "Your PUPIL? What qualifies you, servant?"

"Unless you're short of memory, recall that I'm a sensei-type jounin. Training is my job description."

"No, training is Kakashi's job description. It's Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Ebisu, their job description." He pointed at the blonde nin's face. "What you do, I believe, is cleaning and manual labor. Now go do the elders committee's hair. One needs a cut and the other four need washing." An evil grin appeared. "Unless you want another week."

Naruto bowed. "I am happy to serve, lord Hiashi-sama." He shuffled off, muttering all the evil ways of human dismemberment, imagining how tasty his flesh had to be.

Ebisu continued through the woods. Yondaime had been difficult to track. It seemed to the jounin that the fourth hokage had tried—uncharacteristically sloppily—to cover his tracks. Following what clues he could, the closet pervert went in the directions he believed his superior to be going. By directions, he meant many. Yondaime changed paths at least six times in the previous hour. The quality of the clues varied. It confused him. _Why would Yondaime-sama do such a poor job of concealing his tracks if he didn't want to be followed?_ An alternative came to him. _Or, maybe he's already being followed, and whoever is following him is uncovering his trail for others to find. If someone else is tracking Yondaime-sama, could they be misleading me on purpose?_ He discarded that option. _No, if someone is following him, leaving a correct trail would allow for backup to come. _Ebisu grinned. _Although, against Yondaime's hiraishin, there's a fat lot of good backup would do._

Soon, he came upon an edge to the woods. Rather, an opening to a clearing. It came to a ledge, where thick bushes preceded a thirty foot drop. An open clearing lay below, where a cave entrance stuck slightly out. Two ninja stood immediately outside. From files on enemy ninja, he at once recognized them. Staying quieter than he believed possible, he hid himself.

"So, Sasori, your group is still searching?"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Deidara, you know the answer to that. Yes." He fumbled in his pocket and produced a lighter. "Here."

"Thanks," Deidara remarked, igniting the marijuana cigarette in his mouth. A deep inhalation followed by a smooth exhalation, and he was back to talking. "Orochimaru-sama will be pleased when it's finally found." he spat on the ground. "Which reminds me, where's he at?"

"With his 'higher allegiance.' Won't tell us a damned thing."

Deidara let a moment's laugh. "Hmph." Boy did his fellow Akatsuki tell the truth. "No shit. All the damn secrecy. We're the hands and feet of Oro-sama's operation, and he keeps us out of the fucking loop. Ya know what? Akatsuki was way better off without Orochimaru." he took another puff and let it out. "Oh well, I just can't wait until we've got the damn thing."

"Yeah, hopefully soon we'll get the aura."

Ebisu saw a sight he did not expect within Akatsuki's vicinity: Yondaime. _Yondaime-sama's personally spying on Akatsuki? Does he not know of the risk he is taking? To mention nothing of the risk he's putting our village at!_ The closet pervert sensed the air move, a tell-tale reminder of a presence. He prepared for a silent attack. The figure slid a piece of paper in front of Ebisu. It read, "Don't make a clamor. I am on your side. Walk backwards very quietly and listen. I have information vital to the Leaf." Complying, out of necessity, he stealthily crept backwards until they were deep in the forest. Ebisu faced the figure; had he not kept self-control, he'd have shouted.

"I am on your side," the man whispered.

"My God!" Ebisu whispered. "You...you're dead! Yondaime killed you! I was there that day! We buried you and..." The figure shoved a scroll in the prevert's hands.

"That was a tragic day, but thankfully I did not die. Send this scroll to its source and leave it in lady Kyuubi's hands. If she gets it you will likely have prevented a disaster."

"Wha...what disaster?"

"Akatsuki...Orochimaru specifically, is attempting to gain both halves of the Great Aura of the Earth. Only the Alpha Male of a great clan may use it; its activation will place all the world in danger."

"Alpha male? Wait! I have more questions!"

"All will be answered in time! Now go...oh, and tell Kyuubi it's from 'Big Brother on the Inside.'" Ebisu didn't know whether to completely trust this man, but he had little other choice. Not being attacked symbolized an attempt at trust, although a weak one. He questioned the need for an additional spy with Yondaime gathering info. Still, any help was help. "Tell no one save Lady Kyuubi...promise?"

That request made him nervous. Still he complied. "My vow I give," he promised, and found himself off. He made his way back to Konoha free of problem.

Naruto lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His body had taken plenty of abuse that day. The egregious demands of Hyuuga siblings took their toll. A familiar sight drew his attention and brought a smile. "Hinata-chan!" he whispered. "You're doing great, I swear if the next few weeks come fast enough, I may be able to move onto more complicated training." She smiled.

"I...I hope I get strong, Na...Naruto-k...kun," she admitted. Her stuttering fell to a minimum around him, as his radiant self-pride and confidence ebbed into her. "I wanna be stronger than Neji-kun, m...maybe stronger than Kiba. If nothing...else."

"Your speed is omni-important," he explained. "How powerful you are is amazingly connected more to speed than any other characteristic. Rather than focusing on beating Neji, you should focus on being quicker than and outmaneuvering someone."

"Y...you mean...like Shino-kun?"

He shook his head. "Set your goals higher. I was thinking Lee."

She practically fell over. "Lee-kun?...! Na...Naruto-kun, I...I'll never be faster than Lee!"

"You can be better than any of your peers. Everyone possesses the power to change their destiny at will. It will probably take years, but there is absolutely no such thing,among your fellow mortals, anyway, as an unbridgeable gap." He noticed the night gown she wore covered her like a tarp; completely unflattering, it struck the eye like a fist. It looked as though she were a boat being concealed under a sheet. "You shouldn't wear thick coats and heavy outfits to hide yourself. No one is truly ugly. " He rubbed her hand. "Hate to sound like a pervert, but I like to admire women. Tasteful clothing can still be sexy."

"Y...you don't like my clothing?"

"It's not that I don't like you, it's that what you've got on is marring your beauty." He examined her face. "You've got a beautiful face. That rag you call a night gown clashes with your elegant face."

She blushed, clasping her hands together as she glanced at him shyly. "You...you think I'm pretty? You really do?"

He nodded. "You're a beautiful girl, Hinata." He motioned with his hand. "Come here." She approached, leaning in. In a swift motion he lifted his head and gingerly kissed her on the lips. "Good night, Hinata."

"G...G...Good...N..night, Na...Naruto-kun," she struggled to say. Leaving to go to her own room, that moment burned through her mind. _Does he care about me? Does he love me? N...no, it isn't that far yet. I'm just being drifty with my thoughts._ She touched her lips, bringing her fingers into her field of view, expecting some movie-ish twinkle. So small an act, and yet, it held so much meaning. Her love for him was a secret she and no one else held. Yet everyone saw her admiration of him. Most wrote it off as a girlish fascination, or a fangirl of his prominent position as Honorable Son. If only they knew, she would wonder. Her love for him could outshine the morning sun. It had all the force of a wildfire, and yet, with his relative ignorance to its existence, it only burned her heart. She despised the action her father had taken. At the same time, however, she thanked God for the chance to have him notice her and to get close to him. Inside her room, she opened her closet. Her gown seemed a sheet concealing a painting.

_You've got a beautiful face. That rug you call a night gown clashes with your elegant face._

_I am...beautiful?_ With a force of might she tore off the gown off. As it streaked up into the air and wafted down gently like a leaf, she stood in the mirror in her underwear. _I am beautiful!_ She picked a slender gown and pulled it down over her head. It clung like a small child to her curves. She plopped into bed. "Naruto-kun, thank you."

Ebisu finally made it back through the main gates of Konoha by midnight. "Lady Kyuubi!" His screeches as he tore through the palace aroused many an ear. His intended target, however, managed to hear, as intended. Approaching the office, he saw it surprisingly inhabited by its owner. That she remained awake at this hour proved she desperately wanted answers. "I have information for you!"

She pulled him in and shut the door. "You found Yondaime? What is he doing?"

Ebisu caught his breath. "He...he is spying on Akatsuki!" He fumbled into his pocket and produced the scroll. Kyuubi read it instantly. "Oh, this is information from...'Big Brother on the Inside.'" She looked left and right, confused.

"Big broth..." Her eyes widened a moment. The pervert's interrogation skills told him her realization had startled her. She pondered the implications of her current thought process, then realized Ebisu remained. "Thank you very much, Ebisu, you may go."

"My lady, if you don't mind, what is..."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Ebisu, you may go."

He bowed. "You're welcome, my lady." He exited. _Alpha Male? Great Aura? What is going on?_ He shook it off. Such concerns were for morning.

With Ebisu gone, she unreeled the scroll again. With devoted eyes she read the scroll carefully.

_Lady Kyuubi, it has come to my attention that Akatsuki is planning something horrendous. As you well know, the Great Aura of the Earth is an ancient artifact representing the power of our planet. Orochimaru—our leader, and a complete asshole—is sparing no expense, wasting no effort in his attempt to find it. He's gathered a "Higher Allegiance" who's supporting the damned search. Data is written below, it's all I have access to. Yondaime's been doing a hell of a lot of spying on Akatsuki lately and it makes me uneasy that he has to do it. I wish he knew I could help him. Well I probably won't be able to get back with you for a while, but I'll keep going. Your eyes in Akatsuki, Big Brother on the Inside._

Over time, the general routine sank in and the day-to-day grind became habitual. A month passed. Life went back to whatever form of normal it had been. Naruto, who initially despised his work suddenly began to find that with each passing day it became slightly easier. His body grew accustomed to the labor and Hiashi, predictably, upped the work load. Hinata trained daily on her speed. While she wasn't anywhere near as fast as Lee, she impressed her father in being able to keep up with a power suppressed Naruto. Despite life being far from enjoyable, everyone found their niche and stuck to it. Another month passed. Tsunade's special treatment paid off: Neji could walk again without assistance of any kind. He still did not function at a hundred percent, but he'd be able to fight again in six weeks. One Friday morning, Hiashi gave in and released Naruto from his servitude.

"Naruto-san, I hope you appreciate the opportunity you've been given, not to mention the honor you should feel in serving the Hyuuga," Hiashi explained.

"I believe I am much stronger due to the weighted jacket and power suppression, but your attitude taught me that I can't trust even someone I respect. You're shown that by your selfish manner and enslavement of me."

"Don't forget what I've given you," and with that, Naruto was a free man once more. "You have my permission to keep training Hinata, but if I ever catch any funny stuff..."

"I'm not a perv!" Naruto left the Hyuuga household with a sense of happiness over his release. Yondaime met his son at the ramen stand.

"Son, I'm glad we were able to correlate your release from servitude with another occurrence: The crackdown on Akatsuki."

Naruto beamed as he regathered his headband and gear. "We have their position?...!" He seemed amazed; Akatsuki prided themselves on their elusiveness. "Sixteen years our village has tried and failed to locate a large group of them. We're actually close?"

Yondaime nodded. "I'm assembling a team of our finest jounin and we are going to crush those bastards once and for all, or at least put a huge dent! Naruto, I'm officially black booking you for this mission."

Naruto squealed like a girl. "OHMYGOD! I'm...I'm gonna be in the Black Book of Potential Hokage?"

"Should you succeed. You and Iruka, Gai, Kakashi, Ibiki, Asuma, Anko, and Kurenai, along with seventeen ANBU, will track down the primary division of high-ranking Akatsuki officers and conduct a termination. Give no quarter, show no mercy. Iruka will be team leader."

* * *

In an abandoned farm house far away, the dozen officers in Akatsuki sat. In the center of a circle of chairs, their leader, sannin and S-rank criminal Orochimaru sat. "Tell me news. Please. I want to be up to date."

"Lord Orochimaru," Deidara said, pushing his blonde locks out of the way. "We are in the vicinity of the first half." He lied. In truth they had nearly fallen into a trap. They discovered it while spelunking. Had Sasori not acted, sixty men would've died. Orochimaru somehow knew. He did not betray his knowledge.

"Good," he played along. "Now, an important item has been located. I have given a map to those I want to go find it. The rest will go to our next base." They shuffled out. Sasori set fire to the building as instructed to destroy any evidence of them being there. Orochimaru and several of his closest subordinates went towards their next locale, while Deidara and Sasori lead a significantly larger group in the opposite direction.

* * *

The Konoha team sat in the prep area, catching a few minutes' respite before their mission began. To Naruto, it came as relaxing, as the target would require a huge portion, if not all, of his true power. As quite likely the most powerful member of the team, he'd be primarily in charge of anti-personnel. But despite Naruto's usefulness, each couldn't help but cross-analyze his or her own skills with the known Akatsuki files. A chain is only as powerful as its weakest link, and they all rationalized that it was not them. None of them could imagine failure. The assembled might have been the most skilled assassination group ever put together in the village's history. Many of the leaf's finest. Iruka entered from the bathroom. "Are we all ready, then?" Many intense looks came his way. This day they'd prepared for. The dedication couldn't have been higher, nor the stakes. Failure meant a nigh-irreparable blow to the Leaf.

* * *

Close to three dozen Akatsuki foot soldiers roamed the forest, accompanying Deidara, the group leader. The six or so upper officers kept their eyes and senses attune for anything out of the ordinary. A mild case of confusion spread like a creeping vine through all present. They had arrived on scene—the map said they'd reached the spot—but all they saw was forest behind them and grassland in front. A figure hid itself in the forest canopy, watching and waiting.

* * *

Iruka and the Konoha group tore through the forest on Naruto's back. In full demon form, he carried them many times faster than their running speed. Wind blasted by them rapidly, as none of them had traveled so fast before, many had to keep their eyes shut. The demon ground to a halt. "We're at the hearing distance. From here we walk to avoid alerting them," Iruka relayed to everyone. Naruto shifted back into human form. They all were ready. Tension built in their muscles as the adrenaline flowed in response to expectation. In a collection of minutes the border of trees, the point at which the majestic forest died and the consistent grasslands came into being, approached. Preparing, they pounced into the open, ready to attack.

What they saw, shocked even the most experienced of them. All the Akatsuki group were dead. "The fuck is going on?" Heads shook but no words came in response to Iruka's question. Corpses lay in various positions, various locations, all with a common slash mark on their throat. Many of the dead were frozen in a look of surprise or terror.

"Whoever killed them," Ibiki noted, "they were once allies with and he betrayed them. I can tell."

Naruto examined the corpses as he strolled through the field of them. Stepping over a body he heard a weak, ragged breath. Slowly he looked down. One was still alive. _I...ITACHI!...? Impossible! Yondaime killed you years ago at the Uchiha Clan Massacre!_ Regardless of what he knew to be true, his eyes did not lie. Unable to move, the Uchiha motioned with his eyes. Naruto understood.

"Do...do you mind if I feast on this one?" Scooping up the Akatsuki double agent, he waited for a nod of approval, and off he went, back into the woods as the rest destroyed the bodies of the Akatsuki.

On a tree, dozens of yards from the group, Naruto set down the Uchiha. "Now, Itachi, how are you alive? Yondaime killed you." Realizing the man couldn't speak, he read his thoughts. Naruto saw the ordeal through Itachi's memories.

"_YOU!" Deidara screamed. "We trusted you! You betrayed us all?"_

_The figure, who Itachi didn't see quite clearly, distinctly had blonde hair and blue eyes...he had to be an Uzumaki. "You should have anticpiated this." The rest was a blur as the figure ripped through the group._

"So, you survived the massacre because Yondaime wasn't thorough? And you're some double agent helping us?"

Itachi gave a faint nod, then died. Naruto hadn't expected much depth or detail to a dying man's memories. But the group had been killed by an Uzumaki? That confused him further. He removed the clothes and consumed the body.

Pow. The sound of limbs breaking off trees and hitting the ground. Naruto pounced.

However, he very quickly stopped.

"O...oh...m...my...G...God..." he struggled to say, quivering in terror. "You...you...mu...must be..."

The blonde-haired figure stood at least seven feet tall in human form. At four and a half feet wide, he was a mountain of muscle. Without a shirt, only a pair of animal hide pants, his imposing physique would put terror into anyone. Not to mention the positively monstrous chakra he suppressed to avoid attracting attention. Facially, he looked exactly like a much more physically mature Naruto. His eyes were penetratingly focused. On his mouth, sat a cold grin.

"You've heard stories of me," the huge figure boomed in a deep, earthy voice. "I am your true father."

Naruto could not help but convulse. He'd never stood in the presence of such a terrifyingly powerful being.

"My name is Kenzo."


	14. CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Present day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(the page has a spilt liquid stain)

Naruto stood frozen in sheer unrivaled terror. His true father, the so called "Great Taker of Life," aptly named considering in the first hundred years of life, he'd already defeated the Legendary Snake Demon himself, proclaimed himself king of demons, and then proceeded to tear a bloody path of destruction through hell. A demon of this level of power could only be summoned, which meant one thing. He had to be the "higher allegiance" that Orochimaru had talked about. Several thousand years of spilling rivers of blood and countless demonic wars served as the unimaginable reputation of Kenzo, progenitor of clan Uzumaki. He clearly had more power than any being currently in existence, and based on stories heard, nothing stood in his way of anything he wanted. Orochimaru had summoned a monster the likes of which even _he_ did not comprehend.

"Wh...what is it...you want?" Naruto had gathered courage he scarcely believed possible in even attempting to question such a beast.

His answer came in two parts. The first part consisted of a half-grin and a snort of air from the nose that served as a laugh. The other half was an explanation, or at least, a hint. "What is it, that _I_ want?" he lifted his eyebrows a moment. "That IS the question, isn't it? After all, my son, doesn't the fate of everything hang in the balance? Whether this world lives or dies depends on what I say next." His piercing glance came full on at Naruto. "I came to this world to solve a problem, eliminate a threat. A threat to me."

Naruto slowed his quivering to vocalize. The fear that stole away his breath and prevented him from adequately answering his father subsided, but not to a great degree or to a great amount. With a severe amount of effort he spoke again. "I...I do...I don't understand," he replied.

Faster than a fevered blast of lightning, Kenzo moved across the ground until he stood immediately in front of Naruto. Commanding speed beyond even what Naruto nerve synapses could equal, the great fox demon smashed a body jab into his son's stomach, rendering him unconscious at once. He stood over the figure of his son as he lifted his head. "Move swiftly and powerfully, my son," he advised. "Train rapidly and accumulate power the likes of which strikes unbridled fear into the hearts of mortal men. Become bloodthirsty and vicious, violent and willing, willing to take life. And then one day, you may be suitable to be the Alpha Male of clan Uzumaki." He ran his finger along the stripped bones of Itachi, bringing the reddened index's tip to his mouth, licking the bit of blood clean with one swift—almost sexual—lick of his tongue. "I see it in you, boy, despite all of my powerful children, you may turn out to be my _true_ heir. I look forward to the inevitable fight; I only pray you're ready."

Without a further word, he took off into the forest, and left his son to be recovered by his team.

Naruto awoke in a Konoha hospital with Yondaime and mother standing over him. He hadn't suffered any injuries, but he'd been out cold, and as such they treated him for what bruises and scrapes he had. Kyuubi had a distinct look of concern on her face. "I read your thoughts," she told him.

Naruto shot straight up to a seated position. "Kenzo had made himself known!" he shouted, crazed by the thought. "If he's the 'higher allegiance' that Orochimaru talked about, we're doomed! I've felt his power and I must tell, I've never experienced such a terrifying order of a being! How can we..."

"Calm down, Naruto! Calm down." Kyuubi swallowed. Her words probably did little to quell her son's concern. She shook her head. _My God, Orochimaru! What have you done?_ she thought to herself. _You've summoned a beast beyond all comprehension!_

"How can I possibly calm down!" Naruto raved. "There is absolutely nothing we can hope to do against that monstrous beast!"

Yondaime cleared his throat. It was the sort of cough meant to attract attention. "That's...not entirely accurate," he admitted. The thought had been weighing on his mind ever since he'd learned from Kyuubi what his son's thoughts were. He'd never used...it before, and he knew what he'd be giving up if he had to. "There is _one_ technique, that I've learned." he bowed his head, the thought weighing heavy. "The Demonic Sealing Jutsu."

The blonde jounin did not understand. "The...what?" All he knew was that it didn't sound positive.

"A legendary technique that summons the God of Death himself to suck the soul of a powerful being out, thus killing him. There's only one thing the Death God asks in return: the user's life."

Naruto practically shouted in protest. "You mean...!"

Yondaime nodded solemnly. "If the opportunity arises that we can defeat Akatsuki, I will sacrifice _my_self to defeat Kenzo. So don't worry about Akatsuki, that's officially become my department."

The younger Uzumaki began to cry. "But..dad!"

The older Uzumaki collared him with a fierce look of determination. "That's an executive order. You will avoid Akatsuki, you will _ignore_ Akatsuki. If I catch you spying on Akatsuki, attempting to destroy Akatsuki, or attacking Akatsuki in any way that isn't provoked by them first, you will suffer a punishment that will make what Hiashi did to you look mild."

"But dad...! The village!"

Arashi did not budge. "For your own good, get them out of your mind. You are expressly forbidden to act against Akatsuki." He released his son from his grasp. Wiping his face, he apologized. "I'm sorry. These are just troubling times. Your team has been trained by Kakashi for the past few months while you've been off active duty. Get to training them. They're exactly three and a half months behind other genin squads."

"I thought you said Kakashi...!"

The hokage grinned. "Kakashi's training and your training are two very different things, are they not?"

This brought a mutual smile from the younger Uzumaki. "Kakashi can't train 'em like I can."

"That's my boy."

And thus, with Akatsuki forcibly off Naruto's to do list, he moved back into his niche of training his team. Catching up with the other genin squads took a tremendous amount of work, but eventually the skill they achieved put them where they should be. A time of unprecedented peace made itself known, with the rest of the year passing in relative ease. As January came, the training Naruto gave his team seemed of the highest order of intensity they could possibly handle, and perhaps a little beyond that. He pushed them far, made them sweat, and taught them the things he knew. He did this for a reason.

The chuunin exam approached, and he'd be damned if they didn't at least get their shot in.

"Alright then," Yondaime said to the gathering. of jounin in his presence. "You have been summoned before me to suggest or not, if your teams are ready for this year's chunin exam. Iruka of the clan Umino, you have a genin squad who are eligible. Which, if any, of them are in your opinion ready for the exam?"

"Kojano Kazro, Kuwabara Tenzan, and Otohara Nomako are all ready for the exam," he advised.

"Very well then. Naruto of the clan Uzumaki, you have a genin squad who are eligible. Which, if any, of them are in your opinion ready for the exam?"

"Komojirai Yomiko, Matsukita Satoshi, and Higurashi Otowano are all ready for the exam," he proudly stated.

Yondaime went through Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and the others. Naruto immediately went to his group and informed them. After a brief explanation, several plates of ramen he paid for, and about three dozen "hoohaaa!"s from Otowano, they were ready to take the test to become chuunin.

Although Akatsuki and his true father's connection to them weighed heavy on the mind of one Uzumaki Naruto. _Father, you are a proud warrior,_ he thought to himself. _Even though you are evil, and a killer, how could someone as high in order as you reduce yourself to being Orochimaru's hired muscle?_ It didn't make sense.

(A/N: God I'm sorry about the wait. I really wanted to make this chapter longer but if I made you guys wait any longer you'd probably skewer me and eat my carcass. I had a lot going on and a lot of computer problems.)


	15. CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – Present day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(a sheet of dust flies off the page as it is turned)

The morning sun shone brightly upon the smooth, youthful skin of the three genin that made up Naruto's team. Yomiko, Satoshi, and Otowano had all prepared for this day. Since they first decided to accept their sensei as who he was, they served under him, learning all that he could teach them at their current level of skill. Satoshi picked up new jutsu and training techniques the fastest of any of his teammates, while Otowano adapted the fastest to the teaching style of Naruto. Each had their own unique skills that put them at their own vertex of a triangle that made them powerful as a team. They just hoped that they could all make it as far as they possibly could. They all set their sights on chuunin. They had the hunger and the drive. All they would need now was to show their skill and pray it was enough.

"Good morning, guys!" Naruto exclaimed, standing in front of the entrance to the main hallway that would lead to the classroom that exam part one would take place.

"We're on our way to chuunin! Hoohaaa!" Otowano's cheerful battle cry brought smiles to his teammates' faces.

"Oh man are we gonna kick ASS!"

"Well, Yomiko, I hope you remember that later on today when you are in the middle of competition. You will, after all, not only have to prove your mental skill but your physical as well. Any and all aspects of being a ninja you will have to excel at. Ninja from all over the world will be competing for the positions you are seeking. And only the best make it out of genin." Naruto grinned and pumped his fist. "But you guys are gonna win this! I believe it!"

Three fists rose high into the air. "We will, Naruto-sensei!"

"We won't let you down! Hoohaaa!"

"We're gonna win big time!"

Naruto stepped aside. "Beyond this door is one more step in your pathway to becoming an adult member of the ninja community. I cannot follow you into part one of the exam. I have utmost faith in you. Go!" Otowano pushed the door open with a swift kick. The three seven year old genin went through into the main resting area where the other teams were gathered. They expected a lot of people.

They weren't expecting to be the youngest of the bunch.

The air in the room became exceptionally silent as the whole of the group turned to analyze the three young genin. Several laughs escaped into the air, quite a few sneers became apparent quite quickly, and there were even some verbal insults. Yomiko shook her head as she followed her teammates to their seats. Satoshi rolled his eyes and analyzed those in the room by the chakra he could sense on them. Otowano, on the other hand, he had a different idea.

With a bounding leap he landed on a table. "ALL YOU FUCKERS WILL BOW TO ME! I AM THE GREAT HIGURASHI OTOWANO!" He drove his fist high into the air. "**HOOOOHAAAAAAAA!"** Smiling he leapt from the table, landing proudly near his teammates.

Yomiko punched him in the face. "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT!" she grabbed him. "Now everyone wants to kick our ass!"

"Uh, guys?" Satoshi whispered, "I think they've always wanted to kick our ass." They turned to see a little over two dozen faces staring at them, all quite peeved.

"I'm...uh, terribly sorry for my teammate here," Yomiko apologized. "He's a bit mentally retarded." She collared him. "_Isn't that right, Otowano!_" She dragged him to his seat by his hair.

"Attention, everyone," a voice from the front boomed. One single wave of silence floated through a sea of noise, commanding attention as it went. "My name is Morino Ibiki, and I am the proctor of part one of the chuunin exam. Before we begin, let me go over the rules."

Naruto sat on a bench in front of the building that served frequently for village gatherings. He hoped his tema did well in the exams; he knew they certainly had their work cut out for them being the youngest of the bunch. Even considering that many jounin considered him to have among the best teaching skills of all the level one's, he had slight doubts about whether or not they'd have picked up enough of his talents to make it on their own. He coughed and took another sip of tea before leaning back to catch a brief nap.

A few dozen meters away, behind a building, a chuunin strolled towards his goal, the central office, with intent to see if they had any missions for him. Moving on he did not hear footsteps behind him, because a cloaking jutsu silenced them. Pow. "Uh!" Thud. He barely managed to vocalize a groan after the fist struck the back of his head. The man turned over his laid out target, staring into the chuunin's unconscious eyes. The man touched his hand to the forehead of the unconscious chuunin and his body dematerialized in a quick flash of light.

The sharp, instantaneous vocalization may have been too far away for any normal person of Naruto's distance to hear, but the fox demon with his extraordinarily acute hearing picked it up. He bounded from his seat and found himself on site in less than a second. "Shikamaru-san? What're you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I'm just...just kinda strolling around," the possessed chuunin lied. "Nothing much."

Naruto's suspicion had been piqued. "Oh...okay," he offered, leaving slowly.

An evil grin appeared on the face of the possessed chuunin. _Now I can keep a closer eye on you, without you being able to sense me, my son,_ Kenzo thought. _This pitiful human body provides me a degree of shielding._ The mighty demon, having taken a flawless disguise, moved on towards his next goal: Yondaime.

He found his target filling out paperwork on the upper floor of the Hokage's palace. The blonde-haired leader of the village finished the last line on the form he'd been working on, and placed it in the envelope. He stepped out of the office just for a moment to place it in the mailbox—and to stretch his legs—and in that twenty seconds Kenzo had come in and left, leaving behind a memento of his arrival.

_I know you can read this, Arashi_, the note said in demonic language. _I know you think you have it all figured out, the deception that is, but you know nothing. The Great Aura of the Earth is more than a mere servant. It is a weapon beyond all comprehension. The user will be truly unstoppable. And so when you believe you have figured out all there is about myself—or Orochimaru—you should possibly try to outthink yourself._

_And if you think I'm going to roll over and let you win, you have another thing coming. Demonic Sealing Jutsu or not, you're dealing with I, the Great Taker of Life. I look forward to the inevitable fight._

_Take care of my son, you bastard,_

_Uzumaki Kenzo_

He walked on, his message delivered. _The pawn enters knight territory,_ Kenzo thought to himself. _The king's attention has been piqued. The next move is yours, Arashi-san._ He kept his mind on target.

Naruto sat at the ramen stand, feasting on his favorite spiced ramen. Or, at least he tried to. He found himself playing with his food more than eating it, a behavior he did not usually express. _Something feels wrong with the air,_ he analyzed. _I've felt this way only once before._ When he had met Kenzo, the air had the same dark tone to it. Perhaps the demon king lurked somewhere near the village...or perhaps he'd possessed someone.

"N...Naruto-kun," a soft voice said. "How...how are y...you doing?"

He glanced over and smiled. "Hinata-chan!" She blushed at his calling her name. "Come and sit down! This is a nice surprise. I thought you'd be in the chuunin exam. You didn't fail, did you?"

She shook her head. "N...no," she explained. "Your father gave me a provisional promotion to chuunin. I have to undergo your training for another eight months and then I'll be fully chuunin."

"Well, that's good. Have you been keeping up with the weight symbols and all?"

"My...I can tell my speed has gone up, but I've been working with you for months now and I can't notice more than a slight increase in speed."

He grinned. "Probably because you're constantly under the extra weight of the blood symbols. If you wash them off in combat, you'll notice a dramatic increase. But only wash them off if you absolutely have to to survive. Let me see your technique after we finish our ramen." He paid for her bowl.

"W...wait, Naruto-kun, I have...I have to use the bathroom," she told him. Walking away from the stand, she headed behind the town gathering building to use the service entrance to get to the women's bathroom. As soon as she got out of Naruto's sight, she turned to the door.

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around. "Shikamaru-kun!" she tried to shout, but a hand clamped over her throat stole away her breath before she could speak his name. She had no idea it wasn't him.

_The game is on,_ Kenzo telepathically told Hinata, cutting off any access of Naruto or Kyuubi hearing his thoughts. With his other hand he placed a drop of blood—his real blood—on her tongue and forced her head back so she had no recourse but to swallow it. He disappeared immediately as she began to convulse.

She coughed a few times and gurgled, then managed to scream, "NARUTO-KUN!" He appeared on sight faster than he'd ever ran before.

"HINATA-CHAN!" He scooped her up into his arms. "Don't worry, my mother will take care of you...HINATA!" Her convulsing worsened. **; Mother! I need your help! Hinata's been poisoned! ;**

As Kenzo in Shikamaru's body stood atop a building watching the event unfold, he smirked. _One of yours has become one of mine; a pawn switches colors. _"See you soon, my son."


	16. CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – Present Day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(a huge tear segments the page in two; it is held together by tape)

**; Ha ha ha, ; **The laughing echoed. A dark chamber she was locked in, pitch black except for a mild light that illuminated the floor exactly four feet around her in every direction. Hinata could not see the body from which the deep voice came, but could instinctively sense the evil in the being. She whipped around as she could feel his presence moving around her, analyzing her movements, hearing her breathing. Tempted by her scent, which made love to his nose against its will, he looked at the girl who was unable to see him with hungry eyes. **; ha ha ha, ;** his laughter continued, in the unique language of fox demons.

"Wh..who...who...who the hell a...are you?" She barely made her words come out, she was so scared.

**; I know you can understand me,** he spoke. **; I have given you a gift, ha ha ha...**

She fell to her knees, quivering. Her question she repeated, barely. "Who...are...who are you?"

**; You don't know who I am, do you, Hinata? ;** The massive Kenzo stepped from the shadows. So scared she urinated on herself, she felt every inch of herself quivering in sheer terror. The seven foot tall blonde demon grabbed her by her abdomen and lifted her to face level. **; I've seen the way you favor my son, and now I've made you his, ha ha ha...** Then the demon vanished and her surroundings changed dramatically. She was kneeling in the clearing in a forest, the calm summer wind blowing.

"Hinata! HINATA!"

She recognized the voice immediately. It was a voice she could always find comfort in. "NARUTO-KUN!" She fought her aching, terrorized legs, and they gave in, allowing her to stand. She ran and leapt into his arms. "Oh, Naruto-kun!" But she immediately noticed that something was very wrong. "N...Naruto-kun?"

"Ha ha ha..." His normally comforting face was contorted in a wicked smile. She saw Kenzo in his eyes.

Instantly she began trying to pull away from him. "L...Let go...Let go of m...me.. Naruto-k...kun!" The harder she tried to pull away, the tighter his grip became, and the louder his cackling got.

"HA HA HA!"

Eventually she felt her spine beginning to crack; by this point she had both feet against his chest and both hands against his arms pushing away but her strength was nothing compared to his. "NA...NARUTO...NARUTO-KUUUN!"

**; HA HA HA! ;**

"Hinata-chan!"

A struggling girl fought a pair of hands on her shoulders. "No! Naruto-kun!"

"HINATA-CHAN!"

"NOOOO!"

Finally a pair of lavenderish-white eyes opened up; a nightmare had ended. "Na...Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata-chan, are you okay?" The figure was not him.

She shook the fear out of her mind as she realized it had been a nightmare. "Ky...Kyuubi-sama?"

The female fox demon rubbed the girl's hair and poured liquid into her mouth. "Drink this, it'll quell the burning."

Hinata wiped her forehead. "Why'm I so hot, Kyuubi-sama?" Sweat poured off of her.

"Your aura is changing," Kyuubi replied, "you were given a sample of fox demon blood from my former love interest Kenzo, and fox demon blood changes humans into youko."

Hinata had another concern. "Wh...where's Naruto-kun?"

She shook her head "He's not seeing you for awhile."

The Hyuuga looked crushed. "Why?"

"When a female human first turns into a fox demon, she gives off a unique scent..." she went on to explain the whole thing.

A figure barged down the halls of the medical center of Konoha. Naruto had had quite enough of being told no. He needed to know exactly what condition Hinata was in. A random ANBU stopped him. "Honorable son, I know you want to know how Hinata is doing, but I've been given strict orders not to let you in."

He grabbed the man by his neck. "Do you really want to try and stop me?" His display of killing intent seemed enough to make the man back down. Free of inhibiting factors, he continued down the hall. The door standing at the end opened up and a familiar face came out.

"Now son," Kyuubi stated, "I know you want to see Hinata, but I can't let you see her..."

He interrupted her. "Mom, I need to see her. NOW."

"Son, I'll tell you she's fine but I'm not letting you see her."

"I'm getting through that door whether you like it or not, mother," he calmly warned.

Kyuubi rolled her eyes; there was no way she was going to stop him short of beating the hell out of him. "Fine," she relinquished. "But take this."

Naruto looked at the object handed her. "Mom, are you serious?"

She nodded. "Yes I am. I don't want something...eventful happening."

Naruto rolled his eyes, and passed her up.

He opened the door to the private medical room, and stepped in. It hit him all at once. He noticed her pulsating aura, the transformation of her into a fox demon being complete, and also her newly-formed demon tails and ears had appeared. She saw him and he noticed that her canine teeth had slightly elongated. But it was a greater feature that he noticed. It made his muscles tense; it made him want her badly. Some animalistic instinct found itself clawing away at his reasonable sanity, and he wanted nothing more than to tear her clothes off and make love to her right then. Sweat began to pour off of his face. It was the smell.

_THAT's why my mother gave me the incense,_ he thought. _The smell._

A human female transforming into a fox demon for the first time went into heat unwillingly. Hinata, without wanting it, gave off a chemical that emitted a smell that male fox demons found irresistible. Naruto inched closer to Hinata very slowly, barely lifting his feet off the floor because he doubted his ability to control his emotions. A driving force like this he had never felt before. Fortunately, he knew something else: this phase would only last five days as opposed to the usual week for older fox demons.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried.

"I can't come any closer, Hinata-chan," he explained, his voice slightly crackly due to his conflicting forces of will. "I can't guarantee my ability to remain sane." She began to sit up in bed as if to stand, but he quickly raised an arm to stop her. "No, don't. For your sake, don't."

Hinata slid backwards into bed. "You...your mother...gave me a brief explanation, but...I was hoping you'd tell me what went down."

"You were administered a drop of fox demon blood from Kenzo, my biological father," Naruto explained, his fists clenched. The scent was still quite strong, and his will weakening. He took an incense from his pocket and lit it with fire, blowing out the flame so the smoke would counteract the air. It helped, albeit a very mild improvement. "The demonic blood was spreading through your system, poisoning everything it touched. My mother counteracted the destructive effects, but the side effect of you turning into a fox demon was unavoidable.

He coughed and began backing towards the door. "I'm terribly sorry but I have to leave the room now. I'll check on you tomorrow." He stepped outside, and predictably, his mother stood waiting like a hawk eyeing prey.

"I'm impressed, son, your will is definitely stronger than your father's was whenever my time would come around," she admired. "I find that to be honorable of you." A stern expression appeared. "But I don't want you seeing her again until this passes."

"I care about her," he argued.

"I know you do, I see it in your eyes, son, but you have animal instincts like any fox. If you lost control and tried...something...she'd be completely powerless to fight you off. For her sake you have to stay away."

"I WILL find a way to resist the scent."

She shook her head. "None of our kind has in ten thousand years. Why do you think there's a major population increase right about the same time in hell each century?"

Despite his mother's words, he came back to her room the same time each day for five days. Animal meat he killed himself he'd bring each time. At first she resisted, but she required the extra protein in her diet, and began eating the fresh kill. She was new to being one of his kind, so he started her out small and slow. He figured he'd wait until her second or third month of being a fox demon before he'd take the ultimate step of introducing her to human flesh—as had always been a dietary requirement of youko—but for now animal once a day would do. The scent seemed just as strong each time, but his willpower never waned and he found himself getting closer each day, until the final day, when he could stand next to her without succumbing to instinct.

Then it passed and she was medically cleared to return to duty. However, he'd have a lot of training to do.

One morning, she'd been blindfolded and had thick earplugs in her ears. She'd been taught how to conceal her demonic features by genjutsu, like he did, and now the next step he took. "Your senses are many times what they were, Hinata," He explained. She believed him; despite the thick fabric she could see the surroundings as clear as day, despite the thick plugs everything seemed amplified. "Over the next few days we'll be getting you used to your new senses, and this took me quite some time."

Training went by, and his trio of genin had an extra trainee in the form of Hinata. But as they went about their lives, invisible eyes watched their every move.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the briefness and crappiness of this chapter. But calculus, physics, and human anatomy make parts of my brain that usually work towards creativity work towards other things. 


	17. CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – Present day, human world, three kilometers village of Konohagakure

"You will be subjected to an environment in which your demonic senses will either make you, or break you," Naruto had informed her. She had struggled with mastering her senses for several days until finally, he decided to do an ultimatum. He found an abandoned fort a short hike from their home that would serve as her residence for one hundred and forty-four hours. "This is the solitary confinement chamber of what once was a temporary military fortress, and I will, over the next six days, slowly open all the light sources. You will either get used to your senses, or have a psychotic episode." He hated to do it; there carried a potential her mind—newly demonic—would snap under the pressure of the room. Still, she would never realize her senses fully otherwise. He trusted her strength, but felt apprehensive. "You do not know the agony of the chamber."

"I...I want...I want to do it...Naruto-kun," she said. "I want to...master this...If I can't control the basest part...of my being...how can I ever hope to battle?"

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. "Please survive," he requested.

"I...I hope so...Naruto-k...kun." Stepping downward into the dark chamber, their hands slowly slipped apart. Naruto shut the thick steel door and turned the crank until the door was firmly locked.

_See you in six days,_ he thought. He left the fortress and headed back to the village; he had business to attend to.

* * *

Back in the village, the chuunin exam had been concluding for a while now. The third part of the chuunin exam had seen an exciting first and second round, and now it came down to the finals. The initial rounds had seen the elimination of almost every genin from other villages, and now the tiers were two. The screen displayed two names right next to each other: Matsukita Satoshi versus Higurashi Otowano. Out of more than a hundred ninjas from various villages, despite being the youngest competitors in the chuunin exam at ages six and seven, respectively, Satoshi and Otowano had survived despite being laughed at and focused on by every other competitor. Yomiko had seen her elimination at the hands of a much older sand village ninja, and Satoshi had seen revenge, by eliminating him.

"So, Otowano," Satoshi uttered standing arms folded. "I get to show you what I learned from Kakashi-sama during the break. Believe it!" He'd acquired a private lesson from Kakashi.

"We get to square off! HOOOOHAAAAAAAA!" He raised a glorious fist. "But don't think I'm going easy on you, Satoshi. I learned some mighty techniques from Naruto-sama!"

The proctor dropped his arm and the battle kicked off. Both combatants propelled, diminutive rockets shooting across the closed-in battlefield. Satoshi began his assault on his partner's senses. Ducking beneath a right hook he brought his left leg straight up and nailed a strong axe kick directly on his opponent's chin. As Otowano got shot vertically, his foe created a physical shadow clone which did a spin after a leap, nailing its target right on the head, bringing him down, into the path of an uppercut which threw the cheerful ninja backwards. Before landing on his back, however, he pushed off the ground with his hands and resumed a standing position. He barely had time to twist his torso concavely in avoidance of a rising knee strike. Fortunately, he managed to utilize his awkward body position in the form of a twist, which guided a roundhouse kick that blasted Satoshi right on the chin. The dark-haired genin landed on all fours, and forced himself upwards. They both grinned.

"You attack well," Satoshi admired.

"You really hit hard," Otowano replied, giving a "Hoohaa!" at the end.

* * *

Hinata sat in total darkness. Six hours into it, and she barely managed to inch her blindfold partially off of one eye. With one of the light sources partially cracked—such a small beam of light wouldn't even enable a human's sight—a fully uncovered eye took in an unbearable brightness. She sat with one eye halfway concealed for hours, trying to get used to it. Pulling every ounce of chakra away from her eyes didn't help; it seemed akin to dressing a bullet wound with a sticky bandage. She had one of her earplugs out, and even so, she had to make careful not to move too much; sounds seemed unimaginably magnified. A finger tap sounded like a sonic boom to an exposed ear. _HOW does Naruto-kun stand it?!_ she wondered to herself.

_I HAVE to get used to this soon,_ she realized. _By the second day I will have gone without food for twenty hours, and my enhanced demonic metabolism can't handle it. I know there's food down here but if I can't stand the light, I won't be able to see it with my blindfold on._

She pulled up the other part of her blindfold so both eyes were halfway uncovered. She clenched her teeth as she opened both eyes and dealt with the agony. _God, help me through this_.

* * *

Satoshi and Otowano stood panting. They'd been going at it for four whole minutes. Taijutsu after Taijutsu exchange, ninjutsu here and there, they'd worn themselves almost out. They both knew their next attack would decide the victor. _I'm going to have to pull out this new technique that Kakashi-sama taught me_, Satoshi figured.

_Naruto-sensei taught me this new technique; if I don't use it, Satoshi's gonna wipe the floor with me,_ Otowano realized. He came up with his strategy as he saw Satoshi make a hand sign. Satoshi gathered chakra in his hand and pushed off the ground with chakra in both feet. Making use of all his available speed, he zoomed over to his friend's position. Clutching his left hand on his right wrist, lightning began to shoot off his open right palm. Instantly Naruto glanced over the walkway at Kakashi.

"CHIDORI? You have to have a sharingan to do that!"

Kakashi came over, and whispered the story in Naruto's ear. "Satoshi was actually the son of Uchiha Itachi and a non-shinobi villager. He never knew his father, but I learned of it through old records." He grinned that trademark Kakashi grin. "Why do you think I privately tutored him? Because he's the fourth youngest Sharingan user ever!"

"But he could kill him!"

"Which is why I'm going to stop the fight with Satoshi being the winner if Otowano doesn't come up with something now!"

Otowano looked in horror at the lightning on his partner's hand. _WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?_ He began to be worried, but came up with his plan. He bit down hard onto his thumb and drove a smidgen of blood down deep into the dirt. His opponent was mere inches from him with lightning power in his hands.

SLASH!

The sound of flesh being cut resounded. The medical ANBU prepared to spring forth in an attempt to save Otowano, although he could already be dead. Everyone looked horrified at the sight they saw...except Naruto.

_He he, good one Otowano!_ he thought.

Five different summoned vines clasped themselves hard round Satoshi's neck, arms and legs, With a thought, the vines tightened and and Satoshi was pulled into a position that opened his torso for attack; he could not even move. "Bloodvine no jutsu, my trademark," he commented. He took a leap backwards. He cupped a right hand below a left hand he rotated above it. A blue whirlpool of light sucked itself towards a singularity halfway between the two hands. A miniature star being formed, it turned into a pulsating blue orb of chakra. "AND THIS IS NARUTO-SENSEI'S TRADEMARK!" He sprung forward. "RASENGAN!"

He slammed it right into Satoshi's gut, tossing him all the way across the battleground. As all stood in awe, Satoshi lifted his head. "You...are something else...believe...it..." He fell unconscious from the blow, and from lack of chakra.

"I won! HOOOHAaaa..." Plop. Face met dirt.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow's right, Kakashi-san," Naruto admitted. "I didn't expect this level from a chuunin exam fight." He began to walk away.

Kakashi looked at him. "Where're you going?"

"To get some ramen, and then tomorrow I'm going to check on Hinata."

* * *

Hinata sat in the center of the chamber, the blindfold completely off. She had gotten used to the intense light conditions—finally—but kept the earplugs in. She had found the store of food he'd hidden in the chamber and feasted. She took the next step of removing both earplugs. Her enhanced hearing allowed her to hear the faint rustling of the air. Then she shifted to a standing position and the movement banged in her ears so she slid back down with clenched teeth waiting for the sound to die down. _Well, isn't this a fine conundrum,_ she thought.

Naruto approached the door of the chamber. "How are you doing?" He opened the slider on the door halfway.

"Naruto-kun!" she said, "it's too bright!"

"Okay," he replied, opening the slider all the way, ignoring her cries. _Forgive me, Hinata, but if I go easy on you you'll never master this._ "I'll be back tomorrow."

He kept returning until the sixth day when he could let her out into the open. She finally had mastered her senses; his crash course allowed her to adapt much faster than the three weeks it had taken him.

* * *

"Stand, Matsukita Satoshi," Jiraiya instructed, rustling his paperwork. When the overly-thin ninja stood, with hands cupped behind his back, the aging shinobi acknowledged him. "For mastery of a jounin level technique, as well as good performance during the exam, we hereby raise you to a class-one chuunin."

"Thank you, sir!" Satoshi cheerfully replied. He went into the next room to be fitted for his vest.

"Stand, Higurashi Otowano." The always bubbly ninja stood. "For mastery of a jounin level technique, incredible strategic ability for your age, as well as exceptional performance during the chuunin exam, we hereby whitebook you."

Otowano could have exploded out of his skin. "WHITEBOOK!" he did a vertical leap almost six feet in the air. "HOOOOOOOOOHAAAAAAAAAAA!" Ninjas hundreds of yards away from the building wondered what the hell that sound was.

"Ahem," Jiraiya cleared his throat, silencing Otowano. "You have demonstrated ability far beyond that of a regular ninja. The White Book of Exceptional Young Ninja list all of the ninjas who never served as a chuunin. You are hereby raised in rank to a class one sensei-type jounin." He grinned. "You are very talented; your sensei did not score well enough to skip the chuunin rank." He shook the child's hand. "We haven't had a seven-year old jounin in my lifetime. Congratulations."

"SENSEI! NARUTO-SENSEI!"

Naruto saw the young Otowano do a charging leap into his arms. "I can tell by the vest you made it, Otowano. Congratulations."

"I'VE BEEN WHITEBOOKED!"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Oh my God! That's great!" he thought of it. _A seven-year old jounin? Damn._ "I have to say, I certainly wasn't expecting that."

Otowano did a Sonic-The-Hedgehog style dash through the village. "HOOHAA! HOOOHAAAA! HOOOOOOOOOHAAAAAA!"

Naruto walked away, smiling. "I wonder who he reminds me of," he whispered to himself.


	18. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – Present Day, Human World, Village of Konohagakure

(there is a water stain near the upper left corner of the page)

Kyuubi stood at the gate of the village, adjacent to the guard post. Her son, Naruto, as well as Hinata and his team, were part of the entourage to be sent to the Land of Waves to help train them into becoming a ninja village under their own rule. "Remember son, these people know nothing about ninja arts, so you're going to have to go easy on them." Her advice to him largely came as redundant, considering since he'd trained such people before.

"Thank you, mother, but I really don't think that'll be a problem." He gave her a hug and kiss and then turned to the official from the Land of Waves. "Are we ready to go?"

The man nodded, emptying a flask of sake. "I am glad we could arrange this, Yondaime-sama." He bowed to the fourth Hokage. "Your son is truly a marvel of ninja skills."

"As long as I get him back in one piece, there won't be a problem," Yondaime replied. "Be strong and resilient, my son!" He waved as the group left.

And thus, as Naruto and his group left, they went about their latest journey with much anticipation in mind; what exactly would await them? How quickly or not would the villagers of the land of waves take to becoming ninja trained? These were the sort of thoughts they wondered. Naruto had trained genins before, but they had some degree of knowledge about chakra and could, at the very minimum, sense theirs. He would not only have to teach these people how to be stealthy and use jutsu, he'd also have to teach them how to sense their chakra, a task which took ordinary ninjas quite a bit of work. He could only guess how long it'd take some of the villagers to do so. He doubted many of the adults would be able to learn it at all and it would end up with the children only being able to take to it. Being a shinobi was an art; and like many arts, you couldn't get good at it if you started halfway through the game.

Nonetheless, they showed up in the midst of the village, just like they remembered it. Or, rather, as Naruto remembered it; none of the others had been here. The first place Naruto went is to see a friend he recalled quite well.

"Naruto!" Tsunami cheered, opening the door. She overcame her excitement at the young blonde ninja and looked at the group. "I see we have some others with you!"

"Yes," he nodded. "We are here because the governor of this land made a deal with Konohagakure that we should assist in the training of your people into becoming ninjas. It won't be mandatory that all be trained formally, but any who want the training can apply."

A door went sailing across the room and crashed into several pieces against the far wall. From the room it had been blocking, a plume of smoke came out. From there, a smoke-stained diminutive figure exited with a wild grin on his face. "Naruto-san!" Inari shouted. "I've been training since you left during the Zabuza incident! This's my new fire jutsu!"

Tsunami shook her head. She didn't know whether to be pissed at him for destroying the door or happy. "Inari's been gung-ho about the whole thing since you left. Found him an old ninja scroll at a market in a village across the bridge and has been training since!"

"We'll get to all the formalities tomorrow," Naruto reminded. "For now, I want to rest."

"Rest soon enough! I anticipated your arrival and got food ready!"

Naruto pumped his fist. "Yaata! Let's eat!"

The next morning, Naruto woke everyone up bright and early for a town meeting. With the village's population seated in folding chairs, he stood in front of them and spoke through the announcement system. "Attention, everyone! I am here because the governor of the Land of Waves made a decision that was given the okay by his council, and that decision was to have professional shinobi from the village hidden in the leaves to train various members of your society into becoming shinobi yourselves. I am hoping very much that a good percentage of you will at least try out for size the idea of training for the program, as it was your populous that presented him with the idea.

"I must warn you, though, it will not be easy and I guarantee you, your lives will be on the line. Furthermore, I'm not going to guarantee that you guys will even have very talented ninja for this generation. The best ninja villages around the world didn't have talented genins and elites until several generations down the road. Nonetheless, this is where it all starts. I'm going to have sign-up sheets at the tables you see lined up in front of you. We're going to start our first lessons later on tonight. I will be your senior instructor, Naruto of clan Uzumaki. Should any of you doubt my ability as a ninja, I am the honorable son of lord Hokage, and I also am one of the elite members of my village."

From the crowd, the predictable lot of strong young men came up and filled out their names on the sign up sheets at the folding tables. Many of the children signed up, more than likely due to the sight of Naruto's squad. He anticipated that at least three hundred people would agree, and close to seventy more than he guessed did. He did not, however, expect a great deal more than double digits to actually have any chance of making it at all. Furthermore, he expected every single one of the adults to drop out of the program simply because every talented ninja he thought of started their training at a very young age.

The first lesson came at six o'clock that evening, after all the formal paperwork was filled out. There were so many different groups of people that Naruto decided to group them first by age, then by order of knowledge. Some had taken a brief interest in the ninja life after the Zabuza incident, and as such, knew at least a tiny bit about being a ninja. There were would-be shinobi like Inari, who seriously started training after the incident (although, these were not as common). There was even one or two former ninjas who fled their home villages for a simpler life in the land of waves, who decided to take a refresher course (Naruto recruited these to help him). However, the overwhelming majority were just ordinary people. And that, Naruto knew, meant a very slow procedure.

That evening, the groups were divided up amongst the few from Konoha that were believed to be talented at instructing. Otowano's group found it a bit difficult to take seriously a boy as young as he as a talented shinobi, but a demonstration quickly put those doubts to rest. Hinata had her own group and she had to work on her apprehensiveness beforehand, but Naruto had faith in her. Ultimately, the group in Naruto's immediate presence started with the very utmost basics.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Land of Waves," he began his lecture. "You have taken a step towards greatness; you have taken a step towards being a shinobi village. I worked with most of you immediately before this class so I'm going to take a bit of a leap and assume that all of you at least sense your inner chakra. Am I correct?" He waited for hands to rise. All did except a small group. "Those of you who don't, please work on that tonight and prepare for lessons tomorrow bright and early. If, after tomorrow you cannot sense your chakra, please do not bother coming back as you have no chance. That sounds harsh, I know, but you must realize that a ninja's life is hard. What you will learn from us in these classes are the tip of the iceberg. They are nothing compared to what lies ahead in your life.

"Now then, let me explain chakra. It is the combination of your chi—physical energy—and your mental energy. It is what enables you to go about your jutsu which you may learn later on in life. It is in all of you regardless of your ninja talent, and it is in non-human things as well. There are many uses of chakra, both involving death and healing; a double-edged blade it is. There are many misconceptions about chakra, one being that you are limited to what you're born with. While difficult, it is possible to increase your maximum chakra. I have given you all copies of scrolls. You are to read from these tonight and meditate as instructed. You may leave now; I cannot teach you more until you can manipulate it. Tomorrow I will provide assistance to those who can manipulate it at least on a very basic level. If, after tomorrow you cannot prove to me your ability to do so, I will have to cut you from this class." He waved his hand and the group scattered.

In a building just outside the border of the village, two figures sat at a table across from one another, sipping sake. A muscular, blonde-haired figure sneered as he regarded his ally. "Mr. Governor, you have a brilliant plan going on here," he complimented.

The governor matched his friend's evil smile. "Thank you, my greatest weapon." He lifted a hand to his right cheek, and slowly removed his face, revealing a pale figure with dark hair very much unlike the usual grey-haired governor. "But then again, it would not be possible without you."

"Why say that, Orochimaru?" He took another sip. "With my assistance, this will be Akatsuki's chance to once and for all achieve the artifact, but you without me would be nothing. Speaking of which, how goes the search?" He leaned back in his chair.

Orochimaru shook his head. "We are closer than ever but it still eludes us. How is the ruse going?"

"The team from Konoha—especially Naruto, my son —are as in the dark as ever. They believe that they are actually under orders from the governor of this land to train their people into shinobi." He laughed at the humorous prospect. "If he gets even academy student level ninjutsu out of these old folks and useless children I'll be impressed."

"So, shall the plan continue as previously decided upon?"

The blonde nodded. "It shall, lord Orochimaru."

"As the will of Akatsuki shall pass, my higher allegiance." They clinked glasses and separated.

Naruto and Hinata walked lockstep from the buildings to the ramen stand of the village. The blonde jounin wrapped his left hand around the shy girl's right; she resisted her urge to faint. "N...Naruto-k...kun," she stammered, "do you...do you...think...that this training will go well?" Inside she cursed herself for not being able to say what she actually had on her mind.

He looked at her. "I don't see why not. My words certainly helped the group get motivated." he focused his gaze forward, and away from her for effect. "But, I can tell that's not what's on your mind, is it Hinata?"

She swallowed hard. "Wh...what...what makes you think that?" She shifted her eyes from side to side rapidly. "I...mean..."

"If it's something you don't want to talk about..."

She interrupted him, fiddling with her fingers the entire time. "Uh...don't...worry about it...Naruto...kun. I'm...just fine..." _FUCK!_ she thought. _Will I EVER get to say it?...!_

Naruto scratched his head. "You want to go get some meat? I think it's about time I got you acquainted with something you'll be eating from now on...human flesh."

She almost jumped. "WHAT?"

He nodded. "You're a fox demon...now that you've been exposed to Kenzo's blood. We have to eat human flesh because it's a necessary staple of our diet."

She shivered. "B...But I do...don't wanna eat...people..."

He faced her, wrapping his arms gently around her waist and pulling her close in. "I know you don't," he elaborated in his gentlest voice. "But if you don't learn to eat before a craving strikes, the hunger will force you to attack innocent people. If you preempt your cravings, you can choose the lesser end of humanity—the criminals and unwantables— to pick off and eat. You wouldn't want to hurt people who're innocent, would you?"

She had no problem contemplating his question. "No, Naruto-kun," she replied.

He smiled sweetly. "I thought so. Besides, you'll get used to it. You'll have to." He kissed her forehead. She blushed very prominently, almost fainting. "Whenever you're ready." He began to pull away.

"Naruto-kun..."

"Hmm?"

She shifted her gaze left and right nervously. "...Hold me a bit longer."

"Of course." Soon she would have to take her final step towards becoming a mature member of the fox demon species, but right now, she could spend a few more moments with her arms around him with her cheek against his chest, lost in his body warmth.


	19. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – Present day, human world, Land of the Waves

(this chapter has gruesome imagery in it; I apologize for any vomiting you experience)

Kyuubi paced back and forth in her office. She'd been waiting for about six hours now to receive word from the messenger she'd sent off to find out exactly what was being planned. She knew good and well that Kenzo was on the move, that he planned something in league with Orochimaru and Akatsuki, but did he truly plan on giving the ancient artifact to the snake nin? It didn't make sense at all. _Kenzo, I've always known you; you've never had any redeeming qualities, but you've also never enjoyed serving other beings. Why would you be the servant to Orochimaru?_ She could not comprehend such a thing.

A rapping was heard on the door. "Enter," she rasped. The messenger took two steps into the honorable lady's office and knelt.

"My lady!" he announced. He waited for her to stand in front of him and he held the scroll above. "This is only the most important information from the land of waves!"

"You swear this is untouched?"

"My lady! I haven't even looked at it!"

She nodded, excusing him from her office. Opening the scroll she sat down and read the information presented. The words were from Yondaime.

_My dearest, sorry for having departed from the village; I put you in charge because you can keep order. I had to keep tabs on my son because I've had bad feelings about this deal I made. Predictably, although I dare not reveal this to my son for threat of breaking cover and ruining his secrecy, Orochimaru has been posing as the governor and as you suspected, Kenzo is his "higher allegiance." I'm keeping tabs on their movements and I'll report back to you. If I do not report back in three days, you know what to do; bring this info up before the committee of elders and make the preparations for war._

_P.S. Do NOT break this news to anyone. I do NOT want a panic or a leak. And DON'T TELL NARUTO! This message will self-destruct in twenty seconds._

_Your lover, Arashi Uzumaki, Yondaime of Konohagakure_

She set the message in her metal trashcan and scooted it aside. Seconds later, a small poof was heard followed by a plume of smoke. Two anbu swarmed in with swords drawn; she sent them away with a wave. She shook her head and took a drink of blood from her glass. _Damn you, Arashi, why do you have to take matters into your own hands!...?_ She still could not believe that Kenzo served under the snake nin. It defied all logic she held about him.

Many miles away, a slightly nervous figure stood leaning against a tree, fidgeting with her fingers. Hinata waited for Naruto to return. She had dreaded this step in her advancement; she, now a fox demon from Kenzo's blood, would have to eat human flesh at least every so often for the rest of her life. She adapted to her new senses, even her psychic abilities he helped her with. This, however, the task of killing and eating people, she did not desire.

"Oi! Hinata-chan!"

She looked up; dragging behind him a bound and gagged prisoner, walked Naruto. His fox ears and tails no longer hidden by genjutsu, his reddish eyes showing and fangs no longer sheathed by illusion, he seemed dramatically different from the gentle-looking boy she knew. The prisoner had been largely unharmed, but she knew, he would not remain that status for much longer.

He grabbed the man's hair and threw him in front of Hinata. "Hinata-chan, this man is a killer; he murdered his friend during a dispute," Naruto explained, "he deserves the fate you're about to give him."

"B...But...but Nar...Naruto-kun..." she stammered. "I don't...don't wanna kill him.."

"It's no different from an assassination mission."

"B...But..."

He rolled his eyes. "Would you rather massacre him willfully, or involuntarily murder and eat an innocent family because you were hungry and they were the first in your sight?"

"I don't want to eat people!" she finally shouted.

"You have no choice," he reminded, standing his ground. "If you don't eat him now, your hunger will kick in. You'll eat a person inevitably. I'm offering you the chance to choose who you want to eat as opposed to your emotions choosing it for you."

She hesitatingly approached the kneeling man and took his cheeks comfortingly in her hands. She soon began to cry, just like the man was already bawling. "I...I...I'm ter...rribly sorry..." she closed her eyes. "Please...forgive me..."

With a sudden twist she snapped his neck.

Naruto grinned as she cried tears for the man she just slayed. "Good job, Hinata. I know that was hard, but you'll have to keep your hunger away to stay in control." He wiped his brow. "Now flay and eat him."

She knelt, and struggled with the man's shirt. Naruto took initiative by tearing it off forcefully. Hinata transformed her hands into her fox demon claws. The blonde nin looked down approvingly at what he saw occur. After a few seconds the blood and meaty tissue drowned out the thoughts of pity and sorrow in her mind. It tasted to her as sweeter than anything she'd ever had. Seeing her feast on the man's corpse made him hungry, but since this happened to be her first human feasting, he dared not interfere. She finished faster than he expected her to, wiping blood off her face and then licking her fingers clean.

"I know that was a terrible experience, Hinata," he consoled her, "but it was necessary. Now we can go back to the village."

She shivered, that familiar scared look on her face, betraying her nervousness. "I...Naruto-kun...I...I..."

He gently caressed her face. "Yes, Hinata-chan?"

"I..." she felt dirty to be saying what was on her mind. "I'm...still hungry."

His eyes widened. He was not expecting this turn of events. "I...guess I could round up another prisoners."

She wiped blood off the skeleton, and licked her fingertips. "I...this feels wrong...but I can't..."

He waved his hands softly. "I understand."

Several minutes later, Naruto stood watching over Hinata, decided to contact his mother. _**; Mother, ; **_he telepathically said, _**; I just introduced Hinata to human flesh like she'll have to eat from now on. ;**_

_**; How is she doing? ;**_ Kyuubi predictably responded.

_**; I...I expected her to be hungry at first, but not like this at all. ;**_

Kyuubi became concerned. _**; Explain, "like this." ;**_

_**; Six humans in the past five minutes. I think she's finally almost full. ;**_

Kyuubi scratched her head. _**; If she's still hungry after this one, I authorize you to forcefully stop her from eating. ;**_

_**; I'll keep you informed. ;**_ He went back to Hinata.

Hinata stood up, and cleaned her face off. "How are you?" Naruto inquired.

"I'm...I'm done. I'm full, Naruto-kun."

He hugged her. "That...wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I...I feel...feel wrong...and dirty...like...like I've sinned against...my family..."

He kissed her, tasting the blood on her lips. Then he ran his tongue across her cheek to get the excess blood. "That feeling will go away in time," he reassured her. "You'll have to eat human flesh at least once a week from now on."

"Naruto, I..."

"Hmm?"

_Naruto, I love you._ "Naruto, I..." she coughed. "I think we should get back now." She silently cursed her inability to speak.

"Yeah." He smiled as he ran his hand through her hair. They both reestablished their genjutsu.

For the next few days, Naruto and his crew eliminated several dozen people from the unwritten list of potential shinobi. Leaving only the best applicants, they made sure to thin the ranks to only those who could actually make it past academy student level. Inari caught on surprisingly quickly, and having shinobi his own age (namely Otowano, who had improved from academy student to jounin in a matter of only two years since discovering his chakra) aided him. Every one of the ninja being trained, and their Konoha trainers suspected absolutely nothing of the overall plan. Yondaime spied on Orochimaru and his higher allegiance, as far as Kyuubi knew, and keeping that secret wasn't something she enjoyed doing but she knew her son would overreact if he found out the truth. Hinata managed her hunger well after awhile; learning to preempt her hunger wasn't easy but she managed with Naruto's help.

Orochimaru, in his governor disguise, walked through the streets of the land of waves. He kept an eye on the team from Konohagakure while Akatsuki kept moving on towards their goal. He knew of the opportunity that the artifact presented; the power of the Earth would be his. No force known to exist could stand against him with the aura on his side. However, the young jounin and his team posed a direct threat to his plans; he dared not trust keeping tabs on them to a lesser-qualified shinobi. Only he, the mighty leader of Akatsuki, did he entrust that task.

_Oh, how pitiful, Naruto-kun,_ he thought as he watched the blonde give an outdoor instruction to a group of fishermen. _You actually think this matters. If the situation weren't so important, I'd find this funny._

Far from the village, a large group of Akatsuki foot soldiers scoured a cavesite.

"Kozumo!" One cried. "Do you see anything?"

The shinobi crossed the rickety bridge and peered into the chamber with his torch. He smiled as he lifted a box from the rocks. "I've found the first half!"

After throwing the half of the stone to his comrades, an invisible force blasted him off the bridge and he plummeted to his death. His allies paid no attention.

"Let's get this back to lord Orochimaru!" They began spelunking out of the cave.

"So, they've found it at last," Yondaime whispered to himself as he stood outside the cave listening in. "I'd better get back to my son before my ancestor shows up; that prick can't be far behind." Stealthily he evacuated.


	20. CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN – Present Day, Human World, Land of Waves

A/N: Hate me if you want, the shortness of this chapter and abruptness has a purpose.

Days passed in the land of the waves. Invariably, those days morphed into a little over two weeks. Yondaime kept close watch on his son; making sure that Kenzo didn't make his presence known (and he knew exactly what he'd have to do if the demon did). Orochimaru's disguise never once fell and not a single shred of suspicion did anyone feel towards that matter—with the exception of a somewhat ominous feeling that Naruto couldn't get rid of. None quite knew of the master plan, they merely went about their busy days of learning ninjutsu. In fact, some of the fishermen and merchants became close to genin level advancement.

Naruto sat in a folded-leg style as he watched a bewildered group of students mimic him by sitting the same way. "Now, you people will learn how to raise your chakra through transient meditation." He closed his eyes. "Should you find a safe location during a long mission and you want to make sure your chakra is at its utmost limit, and fully charged, you can always perform transient meditation. You can even do this with a disguise jutsu active." He began to meditate, as best he could while instructing. "Feel your chakra; feel it flow and focus your mind on smoothing out the flow. If you do it properly, you'll get your chakra to restore to maximum and you may even expend chakra at half the rate on some jutsu." A faint, light blue aura enveloped him as he delved deep into the recesses of his mind and body.

A blackened void inside him did the young blonde see, his various chakra pathways shone, his nigh-invisible chakra brightly illuminated as it flowed gently within him, his mind bringing forth the image within. He felt every part of the warmth of his inner self. He focused his mind, intensely enough, and eventually he smoothed the rough edges of several parts of his pathways, and it enabled the rivers of energy to become gentle and soothing in their surge through his body. His power became more focused than usual, and the others could feel a dramatic increase in overall energy.

"You see," he chided, "if you have the opportunity to do so, it can sometimes give you an insurmountable edge over your foes." He gave them the opportunity to attempt their own meditation, watching over them carefully as he further focused his energy. Meditation did more for him than it would for them, being of a higher-order being and all. Upon seeing enough of them enter into a satisfactory level of focus, he delved further himself. The ominous feeling didn't weaken as his extrasensory abilities kicked in at higher degrees of consciousness. A very distinct feeling came over him; he knew, upon the increase of his sensing abilities, that a foe lurked in the village.

_Orochimaru, he realized._

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Land of Waves, a scout walked through the outskirts of the main village. He had been patrolling the various outcrops of buildings and little huts scattered about on the edge where the bustling town gave way to a forest path leading north towards Sunagakure. Nothing about his day had been out of the ordinary, until he heard a series of voices. Neither seemed familiar. Noting that they came from a darkened hut, he approached, stealthily. He stilled his heartbeat as best he possibly could. He put his ear to the wall.

"Remember, Orochimaru, I've only got to get one more ha..." The blonde-haired figure stilled. "Orochimaru," he whispered, "get the fuck out! Now! I'll cover your escape!"

The scout mouthed, "Oh shit!" Then tore off running towards the only person he could think of to help. He heard Akatsuki footsteps charging behind him as he dashed on. "NARUTO-SAMA! NARUTO-SAMA! NARU...AAAaaaggh!" A kunai buried itself in his neck. He collapsed forward.

But the damage had been done. The Akatsuki operative cursed his luck then remembered the blonde-haired man's orders. He prepared himself for the onslaught.

Naruto dashed away from the group. "Otowano-san! Protect the group! I'm going!"

The young jounin stood at attention. "Hai, Naruto-sempai! Hoohaaa!"

Naruto saw a cloaked figure waiting for him. He also saw something unexpected fly in and snap the neck of the Akatsuki operative. He grinded to a halt. "F...father?!"

The Yondaime stood up from the body of the Akatsuki. "Fancy meeting you here, son."

"F...father, what're you doing here?"

"I got word from ANBU that Orochimaru had taken control of this land and the real governor's heir sent a mission to my desk to assassinate, or at least remove him from power. You can go now, Naruto; I'll take it from mere."

"B...but father! Kenzo may be nearby! If Orochimaru's 'higher allegiance' shows up..."

Yondaime stomped his foot. "Naruto! That's an order! Go gather our men! We'll leave this country as soon as possible." He looked his son in the eye. "Don't wait for me. If I die, I can't have you all perish with me. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"But, father!"

"Dammit, Naruto! Grab the group, and Inari's family, and get the hell out of this land!" Naruto didn't want to leave his father, but did as instructed. Yondaime dashed on. He readied his kunai.

An extremely muscular blonde figure dropped from a tree not five hundred yards from the fourth Hokage. He sneered as his young descendant angrily regarded him. "Well, well, if it isn't Arashi. Dear boy, what do you hope to do against the king of foxes?" He clenched his fist. His hand released a half-eaten human corpse behind him. He had, in humanoid form, a good foot of height and a few hundred pounds of muscle mass on his young counterpart. Still, Yondaime stood his ground.

"I may not be the 'King of Foxes,' Kenzo, but I'm not going to let you win the day!"

Kenzo laughed evilly. "If you think I'm going to let you get by me to Orochimaru, you're going to find out the hard way what happens when you mess with the most powerful fox demon ever to live!"

It was a matter of an hour later that Naruto and his group had gotten a fully safe distance from the village, and from Akatsuki, as per Yondaime's orders. Now, all they awaited was the man himself. _Father, I hope you didn't get yourself killed._ It seemed as though his question found itself answered immediately, as the blonde leader of the leaf village came walking out of the secret passageway, covered in blood (very little of which was his own). Naruto practically jumped into his arms.

"Father! You're okay! Did you get Orochimaru?"

Yondaime wiped his eyes clean. "No." He looked his son in the eye. "Naruto, when we get back to the village, we're going to organize a strike force. Four days from now, the Village Hidden in the Leaf officially declares war on Akatsuki and Kenzo."


	21. CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY – Present Day, human world, village of Konohagakure

[A/N: I know the name of the yondaime was revealed in the latest chapters of Naruto, but this is an AU. The name isn't changing.

(several edges of the page are slightly torn)

There exists a part of the village hidden in the leaf where no one spoke of. The private war room of Konoha managed to be one of those places never utilized until emergencies. Yondaime sat immediately in front of a dry erase board where his plan for striking the Akatsuki organization showed. Several of the most powerful warriors ever to come out of the program sat in chairs across from him. "Alright," he uttered, finally breaking the ice. "So, are we going to discuss this?"

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Sensei, we're attacking the Akatsuki organization, and hopefully, eliminating Kenzo." His primary concern seemed to echo through the area. "Do you really think we can do that?"

Yondaime shook his head. "Don't worry about Kenzo; he's mine. Soon our council will declare war on them."

"Is that a good idea?" Gai interjected. "I mean, if we formally declare war, we'll be recognizing them as a body, and if we do that, that'll reflect badly on us if we don't utterly crush them."

"We are the Village Hidden in the Leaf," Yondaime replied, "and I think we don't need to worry about that. Besides; if we don't declare war on them, it won't have the same psychological effect."

Kyuubi scratched her head a moment. "Please, Yondaime, I think we should think about this; I know you want to avoid the destruction of the village, but you haven't seen Kenzo at maximum power." She knew her words were fruitless. She knew the Uzumaki bloodline too well; once a member of their family decided something, they were dead set on it. Still, she couldn't forgive herself if she didn't try. "My former mate should be my concern."

Yondaime solemnly looked downward. "No. You're going to stay here; if I die, this village needs a Hokage." He folded his arms and leaned against the board. "You're the best qualified." He knew he couldn't allow her to continue to shoulder the burden of the past; it just wouldn't be honorable of him.

Kyuubi clenched her fist in frustration. "Arashi, _please_, you don't know the extent of what you're involving yourself in..."

"Dammit, Kyuubi!" he shouted, interrupting her. "I will _not_ budge on this issue! You will stay here! Orochimaru thinks his 'higher allegiance' is going to terrorize the most powerful of the shinobi villages, he has obviously let arrogance get to him!"

Kakashi raised his hand. "Sir? May I make a statement?" He eagerly awaited his approval, which came in the form of a nod. "I think we should involve your son and your wife. After all, I really don't think short of your death, you could actually defeat Kenzo." He knew that by taking the unpopular opinion, he would be putting himself at odds with his sensei, but he saw that Yondaime wasn't listening to reason.

"That's what _I've_ been saying!" she yelled.

"Trust me, I am not underestimating our opponent," he counter argued. "I have a secret technique that will guarantee the death of Kenzo. Now, let's go over the plan." It was just then that a messenger approached the Yondaime. "Huh?" The messenger handed a scroll to him, then left. He quickly read the scroll, the made his leave. "Keep going over the plan, people, I have business to go to."

Naruto, training with Sasuke, felt a whoosh of chakra pass by. No one else could do so, but he knew that it was his father, Yondaime, utilizing hiraishin to teleport out of the village. The question he asked himself, was why. He could simply leave the village whenever he felt like it. Still, he paid little attention to it and went on training.

Kyuubi paced around her office. She'd been effectively sidelined and reduced to being a figurehead. _Dammit Arashi,_ she thought, _why do you have to write me off?_ She knew his motives, but it pissed her off. She knew he was committing suicide by challenging her former mate. _The demonic sealing jutsu, an art my mate had originated for the purpose of destroying unbeatable opponents. But dammit, Arashi! There's something you don't know! He can do the technique as well!_ She cursed herself for not bringing that point up at the meeting. No matter; she'd tell him when he came back.

Meanwhile, a good distance away from the village, two figures sat next to each other at the end of a large table. A muscular blonde figure and a pale-skinned shinobi, the two main forces in Akatsuki. Orochimaru made the meeting official. "So, everyone, shall we go over our strategy?" he announced. Several figures made their opinions known.

"My lord, even with your higher allegiance, can you assure us of our victory?" a high-ranking shinobi inquired.

The muscular blonde figure stood up. "I know that would be the first question on everyone's mind. I'll tell you now, there's nothing the village hidden in the leaf can send my way that'll stand a chance. My power will guarantee their slaughter, and once we get the two halves of the Aura, we'll be unstoppable. Conquest will be ours."

"As long as you know your places in the upcoming battle, we cannot possibly lose." Orochimaru silenced all the naysayers with one sentence. He then focused his attention on his subordinates. "Hidan, you will infiltrate their village and unite the two halves, then once we absorb its power we will annihilate their village and we will then have no competition."

So several days passed. The major jounin of Yondaime's squad each commanded a hundred shinobi. Akatsuki threw their entire force into the combat. Konohagakure stood uphill from the forces approaching. Hundreds of grunts from the evil organization invaded through the forested areas around the village, and still hundreds more from the desert sand to the north. One conspicuous absence was Kenzo himself, the "higher allegiance" Orochimaru had utilized.

"This is what we've trained for!" Yondaime's shout rallied the shinobi. "GO!"

Kakashi and his squadron spearheaded the onslaught, catching a massive battalion at the front of the forest. Blood spilled in such quantities that the air itself seemed a shade of red. Screams and bodies falling echoed through the air. Gai and his group comprised the second wave impacting the enemy forces immediately after Kakashi's group. Gai stood back to back with his rival, and together, they chopped down or fisted dozens of foes down. The two groups, led by Asuma and Kurenai, served as the northern wall which the enemies from that direction would have to penetrate. Serving as an unbreakable barrier seemed easy enough for their combined talents.

But, as Naruto, and then Kyuubi learned, the battle was merely a distraction. Orochimaru cared naught about his own men. Someone had served as a mole inside Konohagakure, for Hidan was able to sneak in quite a distance and no one caught him. In an area of the forest only a few hundred meters from the wall of the village, the Akatsuki operative set up his symbols on the rocks for the ceremony. He chanted his spell words, causing the circle in which the half of the artifact was set, to glow brightly.

"I don't think so," Kyuubi eloquently stated, holding a sword to Hidan's throat.

Hidan backed up. "So, you've learned of my actions." He sneered. "This'll be fun. Another sacrifice to Jashin!" He made a swing for her chest, knowing she would knock him backwards, which she did. Even on the ground, in pain, he knew what came next. She reached for the stone and got it.

The moment she got it out of the circle, a series of religious symbols burst forth from the ground, ensnaring Kyuubi. As she tried to rip herself from them, she saw blood symbols on them; specific symbols designed to prevent her from utilizing her demonic strength. "What the fuck? Why...why you!"

Hidan laughed. "So predictable! Didn't you know the symbol was only a distraction? I don't need a large circle of stones in the ground to unleash its power! I only need the words! I was leading you on!"

As he went to put the stone in his pocket, a flying kick came out of nowhere and nailed him in the chest. Out of reflex, he let go and clutched his chest, causing the artifact to fly. It began rolling across the ground. Naruto would've lunged for it, except a large boot stepped on it, stopping its motion. The blonde jounin froze where he stood. The boot hooked underneath the artifact and propelled it upward, into a very large hand. The hand belonged to an extremely muscular figure with blonde hair who cleared seven feet in height. He sneered.

"Looking for this?" Kenzo spoke, his booming voice striking fear into his son.

"You!" Hidan shouted, fearful since the appearance of the demon.

Kenzo shouted something in demonic language, and Hidan burst into flame, being reduced to ash in a matter of seconds. He then focused on his son. "So, you haven't answered my question: are you looking for this?"

"No," a voice cried out. "But I am." Yondaime leapt out from behind a tree and landed behind Naruto.

Naruto did not take his eyes off his biological father to look at his adoptive father. "Father! Look out! Kenzo is incredibly strong!"

Kenzo laughed. "Hahahahaha. Ah, Arashi! You're so arrogant. Raising Naruto to hate me and to call you 'father.' The irony of it astonishes me."

Yondaime did not back down. "Surrender the artifact NOW."

"Ever the actor, Arashi!" The king of foxes gritted his teeth angrily. "You still persist in putting on the 'good guy' act? You want your son not to know the truth, because it would ruin your image, eh, Arashi?" He turned his attention to his son. "Naruto! My son, do you not know the truth? The one who would destroy the world for ultimate power is not standing across from you, but rather, behind you!"

Naruto did not flinch. "Father, is he accusing _you_ of being Orochimaru's higher allegiance?" He began laughing at the prospect.

"_I heard there was some trouble with Akatsuki going on so I paid a visit. Took a little detour to get straight to the problem. This is the Akatsuki bastard sent behind to slow you down."_

He thought of the chuunin exam. Yondaime had told him about having killed the operative sent to distract him. He realized that when the higher allegiance landed on Naruto's head, it had been heavy, but not as much as Kenzo appeared. Furthermore, a separate memory came to mind.

"_Fancy meeting you here, son."_

He thought of the land of the waves. All the pieces seemed to fit together.

"_Father," _he started to turn to look at Yondaime, when he found himself taken by the neck.

"Kenzo, surrender the artifact immediately, or your son dies."

Kenzo sneered. "So, you finally decided to drop the act."

This can't be happening, Naruto thought.


	22. CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – Present Day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(this page is discolored for having been stuck to a previous one and then detached)

Two titans of power stood diametrically opposed, both physically and in alignment. Arashi, the fourth hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaf, stood several feet from Kenzo, progenitor of clan Uzumaki and the king of foxes, with the latter's son in a one-hand clamp grip around the neck. The young blonde jounin pounded against his father's arm, clawing at it even, in a desperate attempt to break the vise-like grip, but despite his demonic strength, the Yondaime knew every pressure point in the neck that would limit Naruto and would not release them. In the assailant's other hand held a kunai magically coated with spells that would make any demonic flesh burn at the mere touch. All he had to do to follow through on his prior threat against Kenzo would be to decapitate the young jounin, a simple matter for a hokage. Kenzo stood surprisingly firm, seemingly unaffected by the turn of events. His animal fur pants stained by the blood of Akatsuki members and leaf ninja alike, his torso bearing the sealed whirlpool mark of all Uzumaki clan members, he looked quite the imposing figure. For any shinobi—much less a human—to stand opposite him without fear meant something to him.

"I will not say it again after this time," Arashi repeated himself. "You either surrender the artifact to Orochimaru," he waited a few seconds, and, like he anticipated, the snake himself arrived.

"Arashi!" the serpent ninja shouted. "We are soon to be victorious!" He regarded the king of foxes with only minor apprehension.

"..Or, your son will die," the hokage finished, motioning the blade back and forth in front of Naruto's neck. He believed that he knew of his foe's course of action. Kenzo would sacrifice his son and attempt to destroy the artifact, in which case Yondaime knew his plan. He would utilize hiraishin to move so quickly that he struck the artifact from the demon's hand so that Orochimaru would grab it. Then it was a simple matter of keeping him busy until the serpent ninja could flee to do the ritual. Upon such an occurrence, all their plans would come to fruition...all he had to do was wait for Kenzo to attempt to crush the artifact. He merely waited for the squeezing pressure.

"You think I would fall for such a threat, Arashi?" Kenzo predictably responded, holding the artifact with his right arm fully extended. "I will simply crush this stone, and your organization will not have any way of unsealing the power of the Earth!" He clamped hard on the stone, and appeared to begin applying pressure.

_Soon enough,_ Arashi noticed, waiting for just the right moment. Any sooner than just before the crushing force and he'd get caught in his movements.

Tears streamed from Naruto's eyes. _No, father!_ he screeched._ No! _The horrible realization of it all struck him. _So it was all a lie. My fa...I mean, Arashi didn't love me, he only pretended. And now, my real father cares only about those who are a threat to his power. Does anyone love me?_ He would have shouted obscenities if his breath wasn't cut off.

Yondaime noticed something weird...the stone wasn't breaking.

_What?!_ he thought to himself. _But wait, surely Kenzo has the strength to break the stone! Or is it that powerful?_ A realization hit him. _Wait, is he...is he actually refusing to break the stone?_

As Kenzo's grip stagnated, Yondaime began to laugh.

"Oh, my! This is certainly an unexpected chain of events! Uzumaki Kenzo, the great king of fox demons, doesn't want to destroy a simple artifact so he can save his son! Wow. I certainly didn't believe this was going to happen."

Arashi's shout drew an angry look from the king of foxes. "Why should I care about him? I didn't get a chance to know him. Besides, I've lost sons before, so what is this but another one?"

The Yondaime drew a teasing smile. "Then DO IT. Show me of your lack of compassion, great taker of life."

Kenzo tried to squeeze but feelings he'd never felt before wouldn't allow him. He bowed his head in admission of things he himself didn't want to believe. "You simply can't do it, can you, Kenzo? Ha ha ha! Run a rampaging journey through hell killing hordes of demons, yet you can't allow your son, who grew up hating you, to die. I simply can't believe this." He stared at Orochimaru, ignoring Yondaime's rant.

"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, serpent." He tossed him the artifact.

Orochimaru caught it with ease. "Arashi! Our time has come!" He ran off, in a northernly direction to activate the spell.

"And now," Yondaime uttered, "I shall take this time to flee!" With that, he and Naruto were gone via hiraishin. He dragged the young jounin with him for hostage reasons. Kenzo weighed the emotions he was feeling but cast them aside, and prepared to head off Orochimaru so that the spell could not be uttered and Arashi's power remain sealed.

"Kenzo!" Kyuubi uttered, still entrapped in her spell circle. "Where are you going?"

He looked at her as if she were an idiot. "I need to prevent Orochimaru from unlocking the power!"

"Surely the man I married wants to take care of the man holding his son captive, especially after the display I just saw!"

He clenched his fist. "Dammit, Kyuubi! You do not understand the power of the Aura of the Earth as I do! I MUST prevent its unleashing!"

Kyuubi began crying. "Kenzo, throughout all the crap you ever put me through, all the sons I saw you turn into murderers, the bloodshed and the endless wars you wrought, I never cried, and I never begged you for anything. Well, 'great taker of life,' I'm begging you." She fell to her knees. "I beg you, Kenzo, please rescue our son! It's the only thing I have left!"

Kenzo looked at her in astonishment. She's...crying. He could do nothing but stare. The woman he went into combat with (mostly she against her will), who provided him with children whom he gave his training to, who had seen the worst of demonkind along with him, was both crying and begging. Were it a random anybody he'd have slaughtered them on the spot for this behavior. But...his mate; it was his mate that was crying and begging. He'd never seen that before from her.

Hundreds of yards from the woman he pretended to care about, he and Naruto stood apart. He watched as his son cried and angrily shot glances at him. "You bastard!" Naruto would shout. "We were a happy family! We had everything! Everything a person could want! And my mother, she felt as though she'd have the perfect life with you, Arashi! Why'd you have to throw it all away for power, for Orochimaru? WHY?" And yet, to this, Arashi only glared.

"My dear Naruto, you fail to understand. My first priority has always been this village. You think I am a pawn of the serpent? Pshaw. I am the fourth Hokage. He thinks I am his pawn, yet he doesn't know that I plan to use him as a sacrifice to unlock the power! That's right, the aura requires a human sacrifice! So the moment he activates the spell, he dies, and I get the power. This village will rule supreme over all, and my power will be absolute!"

"That's what YOU think, you piece of shit!"

Arashi whirled around to see the source of the outburst, and extended his left arm, catching...Hiashi of clan Hyuuga?..! What was this?

He threw the man to the ground, who quickly got up. "I knew something was up, Arashi."

Naruto glanced at the head of Hyuuga main house. "Hiashi-sama? What the...?"

Hiashi took up a defensive jyuuken stance. He did not turn to glance at Naruto. "Naruto, I want you to forgive me. I did not complain to the committee to get you made into my servant...your 'father' here told you that so you'd be distracted."

Naruto glanced back at Yondaime. "Huh?"

"It's true, Naruto," Yondaime answered. Then he turned back to Hiashi. "So you want forgiveness before you die?"

"You told me Naruto was to be kept busy, my lord, you never said it was because you were helping Akatsuki obtain the key to this world's annihilation! I never would've gone through with making Naruto a house maid if I knew the truth!"

Naruto attempted to piece together the truth. "Arashi...you...you did that as a ruse to distract me?"

"SO the cat's out of the bag, Hiashi! Big deal! In a matter of moments you and my young blonde friend here will be dead, and the committee will award me for killing those who are inciting a revolution against this village! Your entire clan will be executed for your actions, Hiashi!"

Hiashi grinned. "Not if I kill you first."

The Yondaime rushed forth, much faster than the Hyuuga, and impaled him through the torso. He drew the dying Hiashi close to him. "You aren't fast enough." He then shoved him to the ground, releasing his blade from the man's body. He sheathed it on his back. "And now, dear Naruto, it is time for you to die."

Just then a mountainous figure dropped immediately in front of Naruto. "Not quite," Kenzo boomed. "Naruto! Go take Hiashi back to my wife, Kyuubi so she can heal him. I'll deal with the trash here."

"So the mighty king of demons is defending his son. How touching. I almost want to gag."

Kenzo ignored Yondaime's insult. "Many an opponent has died at the hands of the mighty king of fox demons," he reminded. "But today, you aren't fighting him. You're fighting a father angry for what has been done to his son."

"Don't give me your sentimental rubbish, fox demon."

"HEY! You've toyed with my wife's and my son's emotions for years as though they were toys. Now the time has come for you to pay the piper. My name is Uzumaki Kenzo, and you've made my son cry. Prepare yourself for the oblivion."


	23. CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – present day, human world, village of Konohagakure

(there are a series of tears making this page more tape than not)

Naruto, moving through the trees at a high velocity with an injured Hiashi in tow, found it difficult to balance the overwhelming variety of emotions eating away at him. He had just found out that his entire life had been a lie, that his arch-nemesis—a heartless murderer—was in fact a father who actually cared, unlike the man he'd called father for twelve years. The life of a shinobi always had these kind of twists in them, but such a dramatic change he could scarcely have imagined just a short time ago. The man he carried, who had previously worked him as a slave, it turns out was merely a pawn in a much larger game.

"Naruto…" Hiashi sputtered, coughing. A smidgen of blood stained his mouth and chin. "Please forgive me…I wish I'd investigated my suspicions…"

"Don't talk, Hiashi-sama," he advised, jumping rapidly. "I forgive you; you were just a puppet being manipulated," he tried, in vain, to fight off the tears pouring, "just like me."

Kyuubi had freed herself from the trap set by Akatsuki. The spells utilized were nothing short of absolutely amazing, but she was the second strongest fox demon in existence. **; Naruto! ;** she shouted into the trees. **; Are you okay? ;**

Naruto descended from a tree and laid the Hyuuga on the ground. **; Don't worry about me, mother, he's the one to tend to. ;**

Kyuubi began tending to his wounds. **; These will take a bit. Is your father taking on Arashi? ;**

Naruto nodded. He switched to English. "I'm going to find Hinata. Are you going to be fine?"

"Son, I keep your father in line. Next question?"

He grinned at her spat, then disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Orochimaru had gathered both halves of the artifact and began the ritual of putting the two halves together. He was halfway through the first half when a foot kicked one of the ceremonial stones into his face. The figure standing opposed to him, he hadn't expected. "Well, if it isn't Hyuuga Hinata," he uttered, grinning. "I didn't think my opposition would be this easy." He immediately pulled a sword from a snake inside his mouth, drawing it and slashing at her torso. She ducked to his right, avoiding the blade. Utilizing her byakugan, she pressed a point in his left arm, disabling his chakra flow to that point. However, he managed to take advantage of the impact by slashing at her abdomen, which managed to catch her. It wasn't terribly deep, because she dodged, but blood flowed.

"You're not good enough to fight me, child," he said, licking her blood from his weapon and tossing it aside. "I can defeat you with my ninjutsu and taijutsu alone." In a remarkable and terrible display of speed he delivered a twelve hit combination starting with several kicks to her stomach and ending with a rising knee to her head, sending her sailing to the ground several feet away. He gathered chakra in his right palm and prepared to surgically attack her neck muscles. She rolled to the right of his leap and used her own blood to wash off several weighted symbols she used to train with, increasing her speed.

She leapt towards him and left herself just open enough that he would draw chakra into his fingertips and slash at her. She took several nasty gashes to her arms and legs, and her forehead, but used his being wide open during the onslaught to deliver a trademark Hyuuga combination. Her final blow, to the chakra points in his chest, sent him several feet backwards.

"Uggh, you…you BITCH!" he screeched, vomiting up blood and struggling to his feet. He went for her head and nearly sliced her outfit to ribbons as he gashed her chest. Even as a youkai, it would take several minutes to heal from such wounds and she wouldn't be able to press the attack. He bounded forth, reached for her neck, and lifted her into the air.

She began to cry as she closed her eyes. _I'm sorry, Naruto, I wasn't able…to be strong enough._

"Now…DIE!"

Thwap.

"eegghhhh…"

Hinata opened her eyes after falling to the ground. She was alive, but what she saw surprised her. Orochimaru was on his knees in a headlock, with an arm over his head and a hand clamped down on his neck. Blood flowed from several points as fingers dug into his neck.

"RAARRRGHH!" Naruto gave a loud fox roar as he dug his nails in and ripped out the snake's throat. He faced Hinata, and instantly his mood turned. "Hinata, are you okay?…! You've been injured!"

"I'll…be fine…Naruto-kun…"

He ran his fingers through her hair. "You did damn well; I'm proud of you." He brought her up to face level. "Arashi is still unimaginably strong; my father might not make it. So if we die here, let me say something: I love you." He leaned in and kissed her.

She began to cry. "I love you too, Naruto-kun." She reciprocated his action, drawing him in of her own will.

On the other side of the forest, two beings of power the likes of which could reshape the foundations of order in the world, clashed in fiery displays of what they were capable of. The king of foxes, drawing upon his anger and skill, prepared himself for a ferocious attack on his foe, the devious and maligned Arashi. Both had seen more intense battles than anyone else in this world, and of all beings they had the greatest power of all. It seemed here that the true power of the once-a-hero Yondaime would be drawn out by his most significant opponent ever.

No words were spoken at first. Moving at speed barely imaginable by anyone else, they collided in a fiery display of fists flying. The fourth hokage drove an open palm strike at the massive chest of his opponent and found it shoved away by a left hand deflection and responded to by a thrust punch to the upper chest of him. Kenzo's attack did not land as his younger foe ducked and came up with a twirling uppercut, only to be dodged by a simple lean-back. The fox king shifted rapidly aside an elbow strike and attempted to drive his knee into the gut of his opponent but his enemy leapt above it, rolling and jumping to his feet. He had such speed in doing so that he drove a side-kick up towards the head of his opponent only for it to be caught by one of Kenzo's massive hands, who shoved him in a circular motion and drove a thrust punch towards his enemy who flip-leapt backwards to avoid it.

"Not bad, demon," Arashi beckoned. He drew himself downwards into a more proper fighting stance; he dared not underestimate his foe by utilizing an inferior technique. He planned on his most powerful style, lest he find himself crushed by the dinner plate-sized palms. He let loose within himself barriers upon his chakra use, releasing a glowing blue aura about him.

"You're the strongest weakling I've ever tangled with," Kenzo boomed, his deep baritone carrying for dozens of feet. He unleashed more of his chakra, the hurricane-like red winds that burst forth tearing limbs off trees and nearly unseating the hokage from his position. He hadn't utilized this much of his power since the great king of snakes down in hell.

Yondaime blasted forth, pumping chakra into specific parts of his muscles ala Tsunade, and augmented his already significant strength, colliding a mighty fist with the fox demon, throwing him backwards into a tree. Teleporting via hiraishin to immediately behind him he kneed his foe in his broad, muscled back to instantly reverse his flight and increase his momentum. Moving again he appeared above his foe mid-launch and kicked him to a kneeling position. With a furious barrage he opened a huge onslaught on the torso and head of Kenzo, battering the massive body of the king of hell and drawing blood from many points. Each blow had the strength to level a concrete wall a meter thick, and had the speed of the winds inside a tornado. He ended the combo with a powerful kick, and gathered a rasengan in his hand and propelled forth, slamming it into the upper chest of his enemy, drawing more blood and shooting him into a mess of trees.

"Now you see the true power of Arashi, demon scum," he gloated. "Should you have had a chance to strike, you'd have felt the hopelessness of feeling your blows barely scratch me."

"FATHER!" Naruto screeched, smashing a flying kick into the back of Yondaime, knocking him to the ground. He furiously attempted to stomp on the hokage's head, but he whirled aside, leapt to a standing position, and immediately clamped a hand on his son's neck, on pressure points so he couldn't move. "Yo…you…ba…bastard…"

Yondaime drew his right hand above his head, pooling chakra for another massive rasengan. "Sorry, Naruto…it's time for you to die." He clenched his muscles. "YAAAA!"

**; NARUTO! ;** screamed Kyuubi, flying in for a kick. She knew she'd be too late.

"RAARRRGH!"

SLASH. Distinctly was it heard: the sound of claws tearing through flesh.

"Aaaaaaaggghhh!" yelled Yondaime, as Kenzo's claws sliced as clean as a katana through his right forearm, causing fifteen inches of forearm, as well as the hand with the rasengan, to fall to the ground. Right below where the arm was sliced, a vine protruding from the ground had shot up to wrap around.

"O…Otowano?" Naruto yelled. He could scarcely believe his eyes. His genin squad had shown up.

Otowano pumped his fist in the air. "HOOHAAAAAAA!"

Satoshi grinned as he'd thrown a dagger to catch in the hokage's other arm to release Naruto from the goozle. "It looks as though we can help after all, Naruto-sensei!"

"YOU PIECES OF SHIT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!" Yondaime shouted, drawing his sword with his remaining hand.

"I DON'T FUCKING THINK SO!"

Yondaime found a massive hand around his neck. With one smooth motion, the fox king hoisted the man above his head. "You attempt to enslave the world, you put my wife and son through hell, and you're not even smart enough to finish off an opponent you knocked down? Such ignorance, Arashi!" The hokage shoved his katana through the gut of his foe; it had no effect. "I've had enough of you; you're not even a true Uzumaki. Just a weak look-alike." The hokage attempted to slice at Kenzo's neck. He knocked the sword aside.

"Please…I…"

"NO GOOD, ARASHI! KENZO OF CLAN UZUMAKI DOES NOT SPARE HIS FOES!" He raised his left hand high above his head, flattening his hand and tilting it so the flat end was parallel and the thin side was down for chopping. "RAARRRRR!"

"Nooooo!" Arashi closed his eyes.

One vicious smack of Kenzo's hand's thin edge and Arashi's head burst wide open, the bones splintering like wood. Blood and brain tissue splattered over several feet, covering the ground and some of those present. He tossed the corpse forth. "It's over…my son."

Naruto fell to the ground; with his emotions raging inside his head, he seemed nearly comatose.

--

A/N: We're near the end, folks! It's been a long time since this story began!


	24. CHAPTER TWENTY THREE END

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE – Present day, human world, village of Konohagakure

Kyuubi strolled calmly down the halls of the Leaf Village hospital. The Akatsuki attack on the village that ended with Orochimaru's death and his forces being demolished, had resulted in a great number of the beds being filled. The staff at the present was any and all that could be called off of their days off to come in. Nurses, and practitioners frantically attempted to deal with the near-capacity amount of injured. One of the waiting rooms she headed toward in particular. It contained the one person she did not expect to take the part he did in the strife.

Surely enough, as she walked into the chamber, she saw Kenzo, her husband, sitting in a chair. His pants of animal hide had been cleaned, his boots freed of soil, and his massive, muscled torso cleaned of blood. Usually, the king of foxes, in human form, stood proud and tall with his wide barrel chest stuck out and his gigantic arms proudly taut at his side. Instead, he sat in a chair, having planted his elbows on his tree-trunk thighs and resting his head in his frying-pan size hands. He had a look of confusion on his face she did not recognize.**; Surely the great Kenzo of clan Uzumaki isn't moping, ;** she said in fox tongue.

He lifted his head and looked at her, slightly peeved. **; What ignorant things say you now, Kyuubi?** he implored. **; Me? Moping like an emotional human child? Nothing of the sort. ;**

She chuckled a moment. **; Don't lie to me, Kenzo. I'm smarter than you give me credit for. Now tell me, what's on your mind? ;**

He shook his head; just like always, she saw right through him. Nine thousand years he'd been alive. Through the countless battles they'd seen together, and the dozens of children she'd bore him over the millennia, she learned every habit, every mood he entertained. The wars he wrought and the hundreds of thousands of victims he claimed did not diminish the fact that she was staring at a very emotional, very caring father. It confused her; her running away must have taught him something he didn't know. Or maybe, she entertained for a moment, he matured, having learned the value of something after losing it.

"Kyuubi," he switched to human English. "Those years ago, when you ran away from me, escaped hell, while still pregnant with my latest child, I was very angry at first. Then, after watching my other sons go out and do their usual routines of fighting and killing enemies, it dawned on me." He looked at her, and the great taker of life had tears in his eyes. "I knew nothing except how to end life. Having fathered plenty of offspring, I should have been a better father; instead, I only brought my knowledge of war to the table."

She pulled a chair next to him. "Don't worry, Kenzo, this is our chance to start anew. Besides, I made sure to teach our other children what you should have, so you didn't do much harm."

What happened next she would never forget. He leaned his head on her shoulder, wrapped his massive arms around her slender body, and cried like a child. "Oh, Kyuubi! I'm so sorry! None of this would've happened if I'd been a better husband, a better father! I felt so lonely without you, my love! Can you forgive me?"

She closed her eyes and rested her face in his blonde mass of hair. "For all the shit you ever put me through, Kenzo, I never stopped loving you."

"To think that Arashi almost stole you away from me..."

She interrupted him. "Kenzo, I won't lie to you. Had Arashi been a better man than he turned out to be, I'd have given him all of my love. But how can I ever forget the man who provided me with the sweetest child I've ever given birth to?" She pushed him back to a seated position. "Now dry your eyes, you big crybaby, and come with me. You owe it to someone particular to pay them a visit."

Kenzo wiped his eyes and stood up. "Right."

Seven hundred steps away, in a distant part of that hall, in a bed, Lay a quasi-comatose blonde shinobi. It had been two days since the attack, and Kyuubi had never left his side save to use the bathroom and talk to the council. Once the battle had ended, and Naruto taken from the field, she went straight to his room and sat on his bed, cuddling her son, comforting him in her arms. He had cried until his eyes couldn't take any more, until he cried himself to sleep. She held him tight, and the next day, he lie staring at the wall, with only God to know what thoughts were raging in the thunderstorm in his head. She spoke to him and nothing happened. None could get a response from him. She'd left the room, thinking perhaps, there was one man who could do so.

Naruto had two distinct sets of images burning inside his mind. The first, were all of the wonderful times he'd had with Arashi, all the times he'd called him father and thought, "this is what a family is supposed to be." The second, was the things he knew to be true: the Akatsuki operative who temporarily blinded him in the forest so Orochimaru could escape, the higher allegiance the bastard serpent had talked about, were the same man in the first set of visions. And every time he thought of the two together, he died a little bit inside.

"Naruto," Kyuubi beckoned, walking into the room. Predictably, he stared at the wall, silently. "I've brought someone I think you need to talk to."

Kenzo nervously cleared his throat. "N...Naruto, I...I really don't know what I could possibly say at this point..."

Naruto emotionlessly replied, "What do you want, father?"

The tone cut Kenzo worse than any knife could. "Naruto, I'm positive you've heard every story imaginable your mother could possibly tell you about me, and if I know her, they're all true. She ran away from hell to avoid me, and I very nearly lost two of the most important things I can dream of."

Naruto sat up, and faced his father, angrily. "DO YOU REALLY FUCKING CARE?! DO _YOU_?...! OR ARE YOU JUST DECEIVING ME LIKE ARASHI DID?" He stopped a moment only to catch his breath. "WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU?"

"Naruto," Kenzo reassured, "your heart may be permanently injured by the deceit of a man you called father, but let me assure you, my love for you is genuine." The king of foxes thought of his past. "I can only imagine what you're going through; I never had a father. Or a mother, for that matter. They were both killed in the great demon war."

Those words piqued Naruto's interest. It also calmed him down. "You...you were an orphan?"

"Naruto, you once knew the love of a father, even if it was just a lie. Now, I'm going to ensure you continue to know the love of father, except I'm not deceiving you."

Naruto leaned up, and Kenzo approached. "You, you're really not lying to me?"

Kenzo took his son's much smaller hand in his own. "As long as I'm alive, you will NEVER agonize for love like I did; you will never suffer as I did. That's a promise. And when a fox demon gives his promise, he is bound by it for all eternity."

Naruto's tears fell like rain. "I...I love you, father!"

"My son!" Kenzo wrapped his arms around his son's much smaller body.

"Father? I have to ask you a question. Why did you turn Hinata into one of us?"

Kenzo drew back with a grin on his face. "Son, do you think you can lie to the eyes of a man who's lived nine millennia? I see how you look at that girl. I know what you think. And do you think I'd allow someone my son loves to grow old and die? What accursed being thought up such an idea?"

From that, all three members of the family laughed a bit.

So the healing process continued on. The village replenished its forces in a surprisingly short amount of time, as expected of the mightiest of the five shinobi villages. The council decided that Arashi—who wasn't an Uzumaki at all, but a member of clan Kazama—would be stripped, on his tombstone and memorial documentation, of the title of Yondaime Hokage, and his body stripped of all medals and celebratory pieces of flair, and his body cremated without a funeral. His head on the mountainside, though, would remain with the words "We shall never forgive a traitor" carved into his forehead. Their other decision was to allow Kenzo honorary citizenship to the village without question, free to come and go as he pleased, but since they had no history with him, could not grant him the title of Hokage. Instead, Kyuubi would hold the title until Naruto reached the age of twenty-one.

It was slightly later that the clan Hyuuga was cleared of any and all wrongdoing in regards to the indentured servitude Naruto had been subjected to. Lord Hiashi Hyuuga protested, demanding that he personally be held responsible and be punished, but with the honorable son's request, he was freed of all charges. The one stipulation Naruto placed on Hiashi before letting him off the hook, was that he had to give his blessing to the blonde jounin's marriage to Hinata, whenever that should take place. Hiashi, reluctantly, agreed.

About three weeks after the infamous incident, Naruto took a walk with Hinata in the evening sun as it set. "So, Hinata, how are you doing since the attack?"

She scratched her head. "We're...we're recovering nicely, Naruto-kun." He noticed she wasn't twiddling her finger anymore; that must've been due to his influence. "But...it's you I'm worried about."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her. "My family's back in order, I've got parents who love me," he pulled the front of his pants out a bit, and looked down, then playfully winked at Hinata, "I'm just doing great in all areas!"

She laughed. "You're so funny, Naruto-kun." They both laughed, then he pulled the embrace closer and they kissed yet again, savoring the moment for at least several seconds.

He had a ring in his pocket. He glanced at it. _Should I?_ He mulled it over. _Not yet. I'll wait a bit longer._ He walked on.

"Something in your pocket, bothering you?"

"Oh, not at all. I'm just waiting."

She blinked in confusion. "Waiting? For what?"

He smiled. "You'll see soon enough. You'll see."

In the immediate vicinity, he felt several demonic chakra signatures and immediately switched into battle mode.

"There's no need for that, Naruto," a voice said out loud. Naruto turned around. Six figures, each as tall as him or slightly taller, approached. They all had hair very much like his, and the same facial marks and stomach seals. Their faces were very different, but looked very much like his, at the same time.

One, a girl, looked at another blonde figure. "He looks kinda like you when you were younger, Las."

The tallest and most mature looking of the bunch came close. "Well, Naruto, my name is Lasorian of clan Uzumaki. These are some of your older brothers and sisters. Dad invited us here."

Naruto looked at them very happily. "Wow! I never knew I had siblings! This is going to be so awesome!" He paused a minute. "Hey, you said 'some.'"

Lasorian answered. "The rest will meet you later. Someone has to look over the Uzumaki famly mansion in hell, you know! Enough chat. Let's go have dinner with father and mother!" There was a collective cheer from the other Uzumaki's.

"What're we having?" Naruto asked.

One of his older sisters replied, "Mom told me the prison was getting full, so she took some of the heftier inmates and, well, let's just say we're going to have enough for sandwiches tomorrow."

"Sounds yummy!" he turned to Hinata. "Wanna come?"

She smiled, despite the thought of eating human flesh. "If you're going to be there, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

_I'm finally going to have a family again, _Naruto thought.

(the page is attached to the back cover, which turns over, revealing the dust-covered rear of the book)


End file.
